Marine Science Affairs 



However, the only coastal waters legislation adopted was P.L. 90-454, 

 authorizing the Secretary of the Interior in cooperation with the States 

 to conduct an inventory of the Nation's estuaries and their natural resources. 

 Funding for the study has been requested. The Water Quality Improvement 

 Act, proposed by the Administration but which failed to become law, 

 would have provided for acceleration of construction of additional waste 

 treatment facilities and extended pollution research programs. Another 

 Administration bill, the Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Control 

 Act of 1968, would have provided for the polluter to pay cleanup costs in 

 certain instances. 



Other developments in 1968 included : 

 — broadened investigations of the effects of thermal pollution by AEC 

 and other agencies and consideration of legislation which would 

 expand AEC's current regulatory authority related to thermal dis- 

 charges from nuclear facilities ; 

 — investigations by the Department of the Interior and Corps of Engi- 

 neers of the effects of dumping sewage sludge, dredge spoil, and 

 construction rubble in ocean dumping grounds off New York City; 

 and 

 — 23 research projects of the Office of Water Resources Research 

 directed to a broad range of problems in the Coastal Zone. 

 Water quality of the Coastal Zone affects health in a number of ways: 

 suitability of shellfish for human consumption, use of the Coastal Zone for 

 recreational purposes, and use as a disposal site for wastes. 



Activities of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare concern- 

 ing marine health problems include (a) conducting and supporting research, 

 development, field investments, demonstrations, and pilot operations; (b) 

 providing technical assistance to State and local programs; and (c) man- 

 power training. Facilities serving the coastal areas are located in Alabama, 

 Rhode Island, and Washington. Additional construction is underway or 

 planned in the latter two States. 



Improving Coastal Engineering Activities 



Coastal engineering involves : 



— shore protection and stabilization taking into account the dynamics 



of waves, their interaction with the shore and its structures, and the 



effect of hurricanes and storms ; 

 — navigation works for harbors, ports, and waterways to facilitate 



movement of vessels ; and 

 — tidal hydraulics including consideration of currents, circulation, and 



sediment movements in estuaries, inlets, and the Great Lakes. 



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