National Estuary Program

In the United States, the National Estuary Program (NEP) provides grants to states where governors have identified nationally significant estuaries that are threatened by pollution, land development, or overuse. Governors have identified a total of 28 estuaries, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awards grants to these states to develop comprehensive management plans to restore and protect the estuaries. Congress created the NEP in the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act.^[1]

Program organization

The National Estuary Program is made up of 28 smaller organizations set up regionally by estuary. Each of the estuary organizations is managed by local community leaders and staff. Participating organizations may include universities, local non-profit organizations, and state and local government agencies. It is the job of the NEP to help communities better protect, restore and maintain their estuaries. Unlike traditional environmental governance approaches, the NEP targets a broader range of issues and participates more effectively in local communities.

Before establishment of the national program, some small local grassroots organizations pursued environmental improvement efforts in various regions of the country, with limited effect^{[dubious – discuss]}. The programs now focus not just on improving water quality in an estuary, but on maintaining the integrity of the system as a whole. If all parts of the estuary are not addressed it will be unable to balance the changes and may ecologically collapse, doing more harm than good.^{[citation needed]} That includes chemical, physical, and biological properties, as well as its economic, recreational, and aesthetic public values. This allows communities that live in watersheds to have local as well as national protection.^[2]

EPA provides annual funding and technical assistance to the local estuary programs.^[2]

Common challenges addressed by local programs

Each of the participating coastal areas has suffered varying degrees of impacts with regard to water quality and habitat decline. Many of the local estuary programs have initiated projects in one or more of the following problem categories.

Alteration of environmental flows, which may include hydromodification
Climate change
Declines in fish and wildlife populations
Habitat loss
Invasive species
Pollutants:
- Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds)
- Pathogens
- Urban runoff
- Toxics.^[3]

Local programs

Albemarle - Pamlico National Estuary Program, Virginia/North Carolina
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program,^[4] Louisiana
Barnegat Bay Partnership, New Jersey
Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program, Massachusetts
Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Maine
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, Florida
Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, Texas
Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, Delaware
Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Texas
Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program,^[5] Florida
Long Island Sound Study, New York
Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, Oregon/Washington
Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Maryland
Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program, Massachusetts
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Alabama
Morro Bay National Estuary Program, California
Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, Rhode Island
New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program, New York
Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Delaware
Peconic Estuary Program, New York
Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, Maine/New Hampshire
Puget Sound Partnership, Washington
San Francisco Estuary Partnership, California
San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership, Puerto Rico
Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation (now Bay Foundation), California
Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Florida
Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Florida
Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, Oregon

Transparency concerns

In 2016 a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge found that the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission violated the California Public Records Act by failing to disclose records about a wetlands restoration project.^[6]

References

^ United States. Water Quality Act of 1987, Pub. L. 100–4, sec. 317. Approved February 4, 1987. 33 U.S.C. § 1330
^ ^a ^b "Overview of the National Estuary Program". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2016-08-25.
^ "How the National Estuary Programs Address Environmental Issues". EPA. 2017-04-27.
^ Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, Thibodaux, LA
^ Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, Sebastian, FL.
^ "Court Rules EPA Funded National Estuary Program Violated Transparency Laws". Chicago, IL: Cision PR Newswire. 2016-02-01. Press Release from Ballona Wetlands Land Trust.

This article incorporates public domain material from Jasper Womach. Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition (PDF). Congressional Research Service.

External links

National Estuary Program - US EPA

[1] United States. Water Quality Act of 1987, Pub. L. 100–4, sec. 317. Approved February 4, 1987. 33 U.S.C. § 1330

[EPA-overview-2] "Overview of the National Estuary Program". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2016-08-25.

[3] "How the National Estuary Programs Address Environmental Issues". EPA. 2017-04-27.

[4] Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, Thibodaux, LA

[5] Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, Sebastian, FL.

[6] "Court Rules EPA Funded National Estuary Program Violated Transparency Laws". Chicago, IL: Cision PR Newswire. 2016-02-01. Press Release from Ballona Wetlands Land Trust.

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