207 



Central gulf coast area economic activity presents a picture of rela- 

 tively slow growth and one which has traditionally taken advantage 

 of tlie natural resources of timber, agricultural land, and marine fish 

 which occur in the area. Forestry and fisheries are very highly concen- 

 trated into this area. 



The Mississippi-Alabama- west Florida coast area economy is highly 

 dependent on the Federal military, especially in Pensacola, Fla. 



However, the area shows great internal diversity. Mobile Bay is the 

 center of increasing manufacturing activity and shipping. Textiles 

 play an increasing role in this economy as well as the more traditional 

 shipbuilding activity and fisheries centered in the Mobile Bay area. 

 Harrison County, Miss., is the focus of a growing petrochemical com- 

 plex and other heavy industry dependent on availability of crude 

 oil, increasing developing of the inland waterway, and artificial ship- 

 channel construction. 



The Louisiana and Texas north and south gulf coast areas have all 

 experienced greater-than-national -average growth in the recent past 

 and are projected to continue this growth in the future. Much of this 

 groT\'th is attributable to the discovery and extraction of the coastal 

 shelf petroleum deposits through the use of new technologies. All three 

 economic areas show significantly high concentrations in the extractive 

 phase of petroleum recovery (mining), the processing phase (refin- 

 ing) , and in the production of secondary products (chemical and allied 

 products). In contrast, the traditional importance of agriculture, for- 

 estry, and fisheries, particularly in the Louisiana and Texas south gulf 

 coasts, has declined. 



It is interesting to note that the impact of the new petrochemical- 

 based economy differs markedly among these areas. The Louisiana 

 coast experiences ample rainfall and abundant inflows of fresh water 

 provided mostly by the Mississippi River and its tributaries. In con- 

 trast, the Texas coastal areas experience considerably less rainfall and 

 fresh water inflow, particularly as one moves south along the coastline. 

 The availability of fresh and brackish water for increasing upstream 

 agricultural irrigation, domestic, and industrial uses will therefore be 

 considerably different in the tvv' o coastal areas of Louisiana and Texas. 

 This, in turn, will affect the desired quality and quantity of water, 

 and increase the management problems faced by local. State, and 

 Federal Governments. 



The PacifiG Southwest hiophysical region 



Two of the three California OBE coastal economic areas located in 

 the Southwest biophysical region have sustained phenomenal growth, 

 both in population and economic activity. The manufacturing activi- 

 ties of both the southern California and central California coasts are 

 well diversified and expanding. Most of these developments are depend- 

 ent on estuarine natural resources, primarily for port facilities and 

 for some oil extraction in the southern California coast. However, tre- 

 mendous pressure on remaining coastal open space for housing and 

 development already exists and will inevitably increase in the future. 



The southern California coast area is water scarce and dependent 

 for its supply on sources outside the area. Central California's major 

 estuary, San Francisco Bay, will be affected by these southern Cali- 

 fornia water demands. The California water plan, which calls for sig- 



