134 



discussed in part IV, chapter 5. In the context of estuarine uses it is 

 important to recognize, however, that waste disposal is a highly sig- 

 nificant and universal use of the estuarine resource and that it is likely 

 to remain so. Along with the many other socioeconomic uses of the 

 estuarine environment, it must be managed so that it does not damage 

 the biophysical environment. 



EXPLOITATION OF MINERAL RESOURCES 



Minerals within the water, on the bottom, and under the bottom are 

 a valuable part of the estuarine resource and are being exploited 

 widely. Table IV.2.8 ^hows the extent of such exploitation in the 

 estuarine zone. 



Subbottom mining operations are limited to the recovery of sulphur, 

 petroleum, and natural gas, with the major operations occurring in 

 Louisiana, Texas, California, and Alaska (fig. IV.2.23). These opera- 

 tions exist both in the estuaries and out on the continental shelves with 

 the governing criterion for location being the location of reserves ; the 

 carrying out of such operations does not require an extensive amount 

 of local installation or development after drilling is finished. 



Avery Island, La., for example, has over 100 oil wells in active pro- 



TABLE IV.2.8.— MAJOR EXPLOITATION OF COASTAL MINERAL RESOURCES, 1967 



Biophysical region < and commodity ^ 



Number of ■ 

 operations 



Quantity produced ' 



Amount 



Units 



Value 



North Atlantic: 



Metals _ __ 45 



Sand and gravel ..- 116 



Clay _ 7 



Middle Atlantic: 



Metals...- 73 



Sand and gravel 232 



Clay 24 



Chesapeake Bay: 



Metals - 26 



Lime - 3 



Sand and gravel. 140 



Clay. - 16 



South Atlantic: Sand and gravel 6 



Gulf of Mexico: 



Petroleum. 311 



Natural gas _ 830 



Natural gas liquids 138 



Metals 14 



Lime 2 



Sand and gravel 29 



Clay 5 



Salt 1 



Sulfur 4 



Other nonmetals 42 



Nonmelals _ 14 



Pacific Southwest: 



Undistributed 23 



Other mineral fuels 334 



Petroleum 465 



Sand and gravel 216 



Other nonmetals 182 



Pacific Northwest: 



Other mineral fuels 1 



Sand and gravel 155 



Other nonmetals _ 127 



1,668,058 Tons $7,251,772 



10,068,000 Tons.... 10,611,000 



34 Tons.. 99 



8,085,909 Tons 15,878,611 



12,299,000 Tons.. 20,193,000 



419,549 Tons 1,149,331 



4,415,357 Tons 11,351,502 



6,034 Tons 114,580 



3,451,000 Tons.. 3,511,000 



103,500 Tons... 207,000 



137,000 89,000 



775,970 Barrels 92,138,579 



12,977,008 Cu. ft. -- 22,540,516 



3,321,951 MG- 64,513,281 



37,946 Tons. 21,081 



3,057,318 Tons 23,413,877 



3,848,950 Tons. 6,991,125 



6,724,608 Tons 36,036,697 



2,743,450 Tons 21,337,860 



16,569 Tons 528,590 



16,261,084 Tons... 32,316,421 



4,315,639 Tons 12,516,395 



1,009,793 Tons... 55,997,873 



3,127,128 MG 40,160,352 



214,807 Barrels- 582,000 



64,696,906 Tons 73,307,506 



11,474,022 Tons 43,205,436 



107,736 MG 898,430 



26,750,606 Tons.... 34,447,779 



7,856,956 Tons 13,721,602 



1 Data are not available for the Caribbean, Alaska, and Pacific islands regions. 



2 Commodity classifications from U.S. Bureau of Mines, "Minerals Yearbook." 



3 Quantities and values of some commodities are withheld to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 



Data source: U.S. Bureau of Mines. 



