The law acknowledges the importance of collaboration by requiring 

 Management Conferences; it also requires implementation by the 

 conferees. Furthermore, it reflects the phased process used in the 

 Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay programs. Through this 

 process, each estuary program examines changes in water quality 

 and natural resources, evaluates point and nonpoint pollutant 

 loadings, and determines the relationship between these loadings 

 and pollution problems. The Conference then devises a manage- 

 ment plan to address these problems. The law supports the notion 

 that, through collaborative planning, disputes about uses of water 

 can be resolved. It also endorses the value of education and 

 research as essential components of longer term efforts to restore 

 and maintain estuaries. 



In 1 988 tVlanagement Conferences were convened in six additional 

 estuaries: New York-New Jersey Harbor, Delaware Bay, Delaware 

 Inland Bays, Galveston Bay, Sarasota Bay, and Santa Monica Bay. 

 As new estuaries are added to the National Estuary Program, new 

 approaches to estuarine problem solving evolve. For example, it is 

 now clear that when priority needs are identified, action plans 

 addressing them should be put into place before completing com- 

 prehensive plans. Furthermore, financial strategies should be 

 developed to support actions. In time it is hoped that additional 

 management mechanisms will evolve, further advancing estuarine 

 management. 



The National Estuary Program's approach is to convene a Manage- 

 ment Conference, characterize the estuary, define the estuary's 

 problems, and develop the Comprehensive Conservation and 

 Management Plan (CCMP). Figure 1.1 outlines this approach, 

 reflecting the mandate of Section 320 of the Water Quality Act. 



A state governor may nominate an estuary by showing how this 

 body of water is nationally significant and by meeting EPA program 

 criteria. After the EPA Administrator reviews the nomination and 

 selects the estuary for the National Estuary Program, the Ad- 

 ministrator convenes a Management Conference to oversee ac- 

 tivities. The Conference consists of representatives of EPA, state 

 and foreign governments, appropriate interstate or regional agen- 

 cies and other appropriate federal agencies, local governments, 

 affected industries, public and private educational institutions, and 

 the general public. 



One of the first activities undertaken in the estuary program is 

 drafting the State-EPA Conference Agreement. This agreement 

 identifies program activities, products, and milestones and 

 schedules that lead to the completion of the CCMP within five years 

 and link it to the purposes of the Management Conference. A 

 detailed annual work plan is also prepared. 



The Conference lists the problems of the estuary and, from a broad 

 array of concerns, selects specific areas to investigate. Narrowing 

 the field, establishing priorities, and selecting which problems to 

 tackle is a challenge. To meet that challenge, the Management 

 Conference asks such questions as; 



The National Estuary 

 Program's Approach 



Management Conference 



