Research Product

Coastal waters in the United States include estuaries, coastal wetlands, coral reefs, mangrove and kelp forests, seagrass meadows, and upwelling areas. Critical coastal habitats provide spawning grounds, nurseries, shelter, and food for finfish, shellfish, birds, and other wildlife. The nation’s coastal resources also provide nesting, resting, feeding, and breeding habitat for 85% of waterfowl and other migratory birds. Estuaries are bodies of water that provide transition zones between the fresh water from rivers and the saline environment of the ocean. This interaction produces a unique environment that supports wildlife and fisheries and contributes substantially to the economy of the United States. Section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act requires that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report periodically on the condition of the nation’s waters. As part of this process, coastal states provide valuable information about the condition of their coastal resources to EPA. However, because the individual states use a variety of approaches for data collection and evaluation, it is difficult to compare this information between states or on a national basis. To better address questions about national coastal condition, EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed to participate in a multiagency effort to assess the condition of the nation’s coastal resources (U.S. EPA, 1998). The agencies chose to assess condition using nationally consistent monitoring surveys in order to minimize the problems created by compiling data collected using multiple approaches. The results of these assessments are compiled periodically into a National Coastal Condition Report. The first National Coastal Condition Report (NCCR I), published in 2001, reported that the nation’s estuarine resources were in fair condition. The NCCR I used available data from 1990 to 1996 to characterize about 70% of the nation’s estuarine resources. Agencies contributing these data included EPA, NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and USDA. This second National Coastal Condition Report (NCCR II) is based on available data from 1997 to 2000. These data are representative of 100% of estuarine acreage in the conterminous 48 states and Puerto Rico, and they show that the nation’s estuaries continue to be in fair condition. Agencies contributing data to this report include EPA, NOAA, FWS, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Several state, regional, and local organizations also provided information on the current condition of the nation’s coasts.