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STATEMENT OF ROY T. SESSUMS, VICE PRESIDENT, FREEPORT 

 SULPHUR CO., NEW ORLEANS, LA. 



Mr. Sessums. Dr. Adams, panelists, and ladies and gentlemen, in 

 addressing the subject of this panel, I feel that we seek an answer to 

 the question : "To what degree is a management system required for 

 the coastal zone?" 



This question suggests that current management may be less than 

 adequate to cope with the conflicts which have arisen increasingly in 

 recent years between the varying demands made upon the air, earth, 

 and water of the coastal zone. 



Certainly there is no lack at this time of government bodies at all 

 levels — local, State, and national — which concern themselves with one 

 or more aspects of the coastal zone. 



Insofar as man's adverse influence on the coastal ecosystem is con- 

 cerned, it is generally of two types : Pollutants and Avater management 

 projects. 



Pollutants come from municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastes, 

 the organic and inorganic contaminants, and the physical and radio- 

 active influences. These, of course, are in addition to nature's own 

 pollutants, such as exposed saline outcrops, natural oil seeps, soil 

 erosion, and decaying vegetable and organic matter. 



I respect the seriousness of pollutants, but my concern about their 

 effects has lessened as response from municipalities and industries 

 rise to the fore. 



Under the Clean Water Restoration Act of 1966 and other related 

 legislation, pollution from municipal and industrial sources is abating, 

 and will continue to decrease as the Federal Government meets its 

 commitments to provide grants for municipal sewerage treatment 

 works, as the FWPCA continues to fund demonstration projects aimed 

 at finding efficient ways to treat and stabilize waste materials, and as 

 public awareness manifests itself through individual action and will- 

 ingness to pay a reasonable share of the cost for improved water 

 quality. 



I do not mean to suggest that we will eliminate pollution entirely. 

 Problems will continue, but I am confident of man's teclinology — I 

 feel that at some point "downstream," he will cleanse the water faster 

 than he despoils it. 



The other type of influence is generated by water management proj- 

 ects, such as dredging and filling, dams and impoundments, naviga- 

 tional and water diversionary measures, and other such projects. 



The Bureau of Reclamation has built over 300 dams. The Corps of 

 Engineers and TVA have built hundreds of others. All of these water 

 management projects have produced incalculable benefits for our 

 increasing population in the heartland as Avell as in the coastal zone, 

 and have served hundreds of beneficial purposes. 



Such projects must continue, unless we are to lower the quality of 

 our life. Yet, the consequences remain. The estuarine areas are losing 

 the enrichment from the rivers they need to sustain their productivity. 



These water management projects have produced innumerable bene- 

 fit to man — water for potable purposes, for irrigation, for power, 

 and for many others. Even so, however, a disagreeable question must 

 now be posed — do we want a particular project that upon completion 



