11-44 



The cost of the national defense effort in the estuarine zone for 

 1967 is estimated at about $900 million, exclusive of pay and allow- 

 ances for shore-based Navy and Marine Corps personnel. The economic 

 impact of national defense activity overlaps into all other estuarine 

 zone uses because of the massive payrolls associated with it. This 

 impact is centered in the areas with major defense installations. 



Waste Disposal 



The waters of the estuarine zone have received wastes from the people 

 and industries on their shores ever since tne first cities were 

 founded. The economic benefit in the use of estuarine waters for 

 waste disposal has been fully utilized by nearly all industries and 

 communities in the estuarine zone, and only the tremendous capacity 

 of estuarine waters to absorb and remove waste materials has kept 

 the estuarine zone from suffering severe damage from such waste dis- 

 charges. 



No overall estimate of the value of this use of the estuarine 

 resource is possible because the level of treatment necessary in any 

 particular case depends on many local factors. 



While the use of estuarine waters for waste disposal may not be 

 aesthetically appealing it is an existing estuarine use with which 

 other uses must compete, and it should be considered along with them 

 in the overall economic evaluation of estuarine uses. 



