The Coastal Zone 



Among the 1968 highlights of the Corps of Engineers research program 

 were : 



— completion of inventories of ofTshore sand deposits suitable for beach 



use off Horida, New Jersey, and New England and initiation of an 



inventory off the south shore of Long Island ; 



— development of erosion control techniques, including investigations 



of protective coatings of steel sheet pilings, low-cost sand-filled fabric 



bags for emergency protection from wave erosion, and experimental 



groin structures; 



— laboratory and field studies of wave force effects on coastal structures; 



— laboratory and field studies to improve design of navigation channels 



through tidal inlets; 

 — planning for new surveys of disposal of drift and other harbor debris 

 and prevention of shore damage due to navigation projects (P.L. 

 90-483) ; 

 — development of criteria for the design of rubble-mound breakwaters 



and for determining wave impact forces on breakwaters; and 

 — development of criteria for the response characteristics of small boat 

 harbors to the actions of short-period waves. 

 In addition, predictions of tides, currents, storms, and storm surges in 

 relation to coastal engineering are carried out by ESSA. Related research 

 on seabed soil mechanics is also being conducted by the Naval Civil Engi- 

 neering Laboratory and by universities under contract with the Navy. 



Encouraging Planned Use of the Coastal Zone 



For the last two years, the Marine Sciences Council has considered that 

 the multiple use problems of the Coastal Zone required urgent attention to 

 improve coastal management policies and procedures and to identify more 

 clearly the potential role of science and technology in assisting in the amelio- 

 ration of conflicts. The Council therefore gave particular emphasis to 

 Coastal Zone activities, with the assistance of its Committee on Multiple 

 Use of the Coastal Zone.^ 



The following general approach has been endorsed by the Marine Sciences 

 Council to assist in promoting optimal use of the Coastal Zone: 



* Several Council contract reports have been very useful in identifying critical 

 issues in resolving Coistal Zone conflicts and in providing background information: 

 "Chesapeake Bay Case Study," "Shoreline Utilization in the Greater Seattle Area," 

 "Legal Aspects of Coastal Land-Sea Interface," "Legal Aspects of Use of the Great 

 Lakes," "Review of Use of the Coastal Zone of Lakes Erie and Superior." Also, a 

 Department of Commerce study devoted to the interaction of the coastil economy 

 and ecology has been conducted to aid regional planning commissions. 



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