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have no more important work ahead than the preservation of our 

 coastal zones, bays, and estuaries. 



Because of its coastline expanse, Texas faces the problems that face 

 the industrialized urban coastal States, the undeveloped coastal States, 

 the forested lowlands, the interior farm States, and the moimtain 

 States. The coastal zone of Texas is rich in natural, recreational, com- 

 mercial, industrial, and esthetic resources. Competing demands on the 

 resources of the coastal zone are increasing. Population growth and 

 economic development have resulted in the loss of living marine re- 

 sources, wildlife, and the nutrient-rich wetlands, and have caused per- 

 manent and adverse changes to ecological systems. 



The Texas coastal zone includes 1,800 miles of bay and gulf shore- 

 lines and 2,100 square miles of shallow bays and estuaries, adjacent to 

 18,000 square miles of coastal lands. Within the coastal zone are more 

 than 135 distinct environments ranging from those relatively stable to 

 those delicately balanced. There is a wide ranging climate. The Texas 

 coastal zone is a dynamic natural system with a spectrum of active 

 geological, physical, biological, and chemical processes. Shoreline 

 erosion and accretion operate to alter continually the boundary be- 

 tween land and water. Hurricanes strike the Texas coast with almost 

 any impact, flooding more than 3,200 square miles of coastal lowlands 

 in the past decade. Active and potentially active faults abound. Land 

 surface subsidence occurs locally. 



Concentrated in this zone of dynamic natural systems and abundant 

 natural resources are nearly one-third of the State's population and 

 nearly one-third of its total industiy. Traffic on extensive artificially 

 constructed intracoastal waterways and channels supports major port 

 cities with a large volume of imports and exports. The State is the 

 owner of more than 15 percent of the coastal zone, as well as the 

 3-league offshore extension — 10.35 miles. The State's 15 percent in- 

 cludes the bays and estuaries. The other 85 percent is privately owned. 



The anticipated future growth of population and industry in Texas 

 coastal zones will have a significant effect on the natural resources of 

 these areas of the State, and will also result in greater potential en- 

 vironmental pollution. Thus, the State of Texas must develop and 

 maintain a coordinated plan for the judicial use and protection of its 

 coastal air, water, and land resources. 



A multidisciplinary research team at the University of Texas was 

 fonned at the request of the Governor's office, acting in concert with 

 Interagency Council on Natural Resources in the Environment. It was 

 charged with enumerating the various uses of coastal resources, as well 

 as the effects of those uses. The long-range goal of that initial charge 

 is the development of operational guidelines for effective management 

 of the Texas coastal zone. 



The continuing growth of the population of Texas, expanding urban 

 development, industrial and economic growth, fragmented and un- 

 coordinated planning, development of hazardous areas such as flood 

 plains, and inadequate waste disposal planning, have contributed to a 

 number of specific, pressing problems of environmental quality of 

 regional and local concern throughout Texas. Scientific solutions and 

 knowledgeable planning must be built on a sound scientific base. For 

 example, the development of patterns of land use planning, manage- 



