but experience has shown that a year after the spills there is 

 recovery of the biological resources. However, it was found 

 that mangrove communities in Panama have not recovered following 

 a spill there, which indicates that among Gulf habitats the man- 

 grove communities and coral associations in Florida could be 

 particularly sensitive (Kash et al. , 1973: 331). 



Probably the most significant environmental impact of OCS 

 operations has been the effect on the wetlands. First, there 

 has been considerable dredging and channelization of wetlands 

 in order to bury and maintain pipelines, and to provide water 

 transportation access to the offshore facilities from points 

 inland. The effects of dredging and channelization are 

 discussed in Chapter 3. The second significant effect on the 

 wetlands is the urbanization that has resulted from the economic 

 expansion stimulated by offshore operations. In addition to 

 the onshore support facilities that directly support the off- 

 shore operations, secondary development has created a need for 

 more residential, commercial, transportation, and educational 

 facilities, and some of this growth has been at the expense of 

 the wetlands. The socioeconomic impacts responsible for this 

 growth are discussed in Chapter 4. 



49 



