INTRODUCTION 



Robert Stewart 



U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 



National Coastal Ecosystems Team 



Our purpose here today is to be- 

 gin to grapple with some of the is- 

 sues. These are not new issues. They 

 have been around for some time, but 

 perhaps we can take a fresh look at 

 them. Issues deal with freshwater 

 inflow to estuaries where the quanti- 

 ty and quality of water that flows 

 into estuaries varies considerably. 



The purpose here in convening 

 this symposium is twofold. First, we 

 need to gain a better understanding 



of what the issues are; and, second, 

 we need to arrive at some solutions 

 or potential solutions and recommen- 

 dations that will permit us to deal 

 with the issues. There are no guid- 

 ing rules for this symposium other 

 than having a rather lively discus- 

 sion and to reach some agreement on 

 policy issues, technical issues, and 

 on legal issues or new laws by the 

 end of this symposium, so that we can 

 come forward with strong recommenda- 

 tions . 



