6S 



The studies provide an opportimity to iden- 

 tify areas that slioukl be reserved in an undis- 

 turbed state for studyin<j the ecology of dif- 

 ferent natural regimes. Baseline studies of 

 such areas must be made against which to 

 measure changes occurring over the years. 



The Commission recommends that the 

 estuarine studies being conducted by the 

 Department of the Interior identify areas 

 to be set aside as sanctuaries to provide 

 natural laboratories for ecological investi- 

 gations. 



Coastal Erosion 



Erosion of beaches and shorelines consti- 

 tutes a serious national problem. Of the 

 100,000 miles of shoreline of the coastal zone 

 States, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

 estimates that approximately 50,000 miles are 

 \ulnerable to erosion and require attention. 

 The most critical -areas ai'e the shorelines of 

 New Jersey, Florida, Texas, southern Cali- 

 fornia, and southern Lake Erie. 



Public Law 90^83, approved Aug. 13, 1968, 

 authorized the Corps of Engineers to conduct 

 a $1 million study of national shoreline ero- 

 sion. The 3-j'ear study will deal with overall 

 problems of beach erosion and will include 

 surveys of State and local activities, types of 

 remedial action possible, and preliminary 

 cost estimates of such action. The Corps also 

 projwses to expand the program initiated in 

 1965 to identify offshore deposits of material 

 suitable for fill and beach restoration. 



The Federal Government appears to be 

 assuming the greater share of costs in proj- 

 ects involving shoreline protection, although 

 l)enefits may be disproportionately local. Be- 

 cause the study undoubtedly will lead to rec- 

 ommendations for action programs to remedy 

 shore erosion problems, 



The Commission recommends that the 

 Corps of Engineers beach erosion study 

 include reexamination of the system for 

 justifying projects and formulas for 

 Federal-local cost-sharing. 



Ports and Harbors 



Marine transportation technology is in a 

 period of rapid change. The two most dra- 

 matic developments — ^bulk carriers of enor- 

 mous size and cargo containerization — have 

 important implications for the Nation's sys- 

 tem of ports and harbors. A third develop- 

 ment, the introduction of high-speed, local- 

 service hydrofoils and hovercraft also will 

 affect port facilities. Kesponsibilities for ac- 

 tion are shared by Federal, State, and local 

 governments and the private sector, but sur- 

 veys and overall planning for a national port, 

 system to acconunodate change are chiefly 

 Federal responsibilities. 



In the early years of U.S. history, the 

 major coastal cities were built around ports. 

 Although an active port continues to contrib- 

 ute to the economy of a city, the maintenance 

 of a major port in every major coastal city 

 is no longer justified. With the increasing 

 specialization of marine transportation, the 

 concept of a port as a point at which all kinds 

 of cargoes are assembled, loaded, and shipped 

 needs revision. In the future, oil, other bulk 

 cargoes, containers, and package cargoes are 

 likely to find their separate gateways to the 

 sea. 



Drafts of 70 feet or more, which charac- 

 terize the new generation of supertankers, 

 will necessitate the development of new chan- 

 nels and offshore docking facilities. The ship 

 channels in only about 10 percent of the Na- 

 tion's ports are now greater than 40 feet 

 deep. 



