IV-130 



SECTION 4. USE AS A HUMAN HABITAT 



These are the uses that occur wherever people live and work in civi- 

 lized communities. They represent uses not unique to coastal areas, 

 although the estuarine zone places restrictions on some uses and 

 offers advantages in other activities. 



MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER SUPPLY 



The water in the estuary can serve as a source of both domestic and 

 industrial water supply, but its utilization for domestic supply is 

 very limited at the present time. Normally the blackish water is 

 unpotable and treatment costs to render it potable are extremely 

 high; however, where the upstream freshwater inflow is sufficient to 

 repel salinity intrusion from portions of the tidal area, the water 

 is used for a domestic and agricultural water supply source. The 

 San Francisco Bay Delta area is an excellent example of this, although 

 there are few others. 



The brackish estuarine water is also a poor source for industrial 

 process water. Here again a high degree of purity is normally 

 required in the process water and the cost of removing the dissolved 

 salts is prohibitive. 



Estuarine waters are used extensively, however, as a source of indus- 

 trial cooling water. For this use the most important considerations 

 are ambient temperature and quantity. Water temperatures are generally 



