485 



navigable waters as danger zones and for certain uses such as fishing 

 grounds; (4) the establishment of harbor lines; and (5) the use of 

 estuarine and coastal waters for the generation of electric power. 



Second, Federal agencies directly acquire and administer estuarine 

 and coastal sites for a variety of uses, including habitat to protect 

 fish and wildlife resources ; seashores areas, parks, or other recreational 

 facilities; military installations; saline water conversion; and other 

 purposes. 



Third, the Federal Government makes grants to the States, local 

 governments, and others for activities which span the entire range 

 of estuarine and coastal zone management functions and purposes. 



Fourth, most Federal agencies perform functions to assist and 

 support the use and management of estuarine and coastal resources 

 generally, and State and local programs in particular. Services in- 

 clude : ( 1 ) preparation of comprehensive or functional plans for the 

 use and management of water and related natural resources; (2) spe- 

 cial studies, inventories, research, and data collection activities; (3) 

 information dissemination and other education programs; (4) tech- 

 nical aid and assistance in a broad range of areas; and (5) provision 

 of navigation, flood control, beach protection, and other public works, 

 facilities or services in the estuarine and coastal zone. 



Fifth, by enacting statutes such as the Fish and Wildlife Coordina- 

 tion Act, the Water Resources Planning Act, and other statutes, and 

 by consenting to interstate compacts, the Congress has provided, or 

 agreed to, procedures and organization designed to improve the co- 

 ordination of the programs of different agencies and governments in 

 the estuarine and coastal zone. 



CONCLUSIONS 



The National Estuarine Management Program cannot abrogate the 

 Federal interests in the estuarine and coastal zone nor the missions 

 which the Congress, pursuant to those interests, has assigned to various 

 Federal agencies. Instead, it is imperative that the program include 

 the Federal Government as a strong and active participant. This 

 means Federal action on three fronts : 



(1) The first is the full and effective mobilization and use by 

 all Federal agencies of estuarine and coastal zone management 

 authority and responsibility which they now possess by assign- 

 ment from the Congress. This will, in many instances, also re- 

 quire increased funding of these programs by the Congress. It 

 also may require action by the executive, both at the Presidential 

 and departmental levels, to improve utilization of authority now 

 available. 



Although all present Federal activities applicable to estuarine 

 and coastal zone management purposes — ranging from service to 

 regulatory functions — clearly can and must participate on this 

 front, a number of actions are especially critical and essential. 

 These include: 



(a) Increased funding of Federal construction grants for 

 waste treatment facilities to facilitate prompt implementa- 

 tion of established water quality standards in estuaries and 

 coastal waters. Funding of all of the waste treatment facili- 

 ties needed at Federal installations to eliminate their contri- 

 bution to pollution in these waters also is urgent. 



