1998 Year of the Ocean Perspectives on Marine Environmental Quality 



implement better management measures to reduce the volume of plastics and other wastes 

 washing ashore and posing risks to human health. This reactive approach has serious 

 implications in terms of monetary and envirormiental costs". Standardized and regular 

 monitoring of waterbodies, the use of water quality indicators, and implementation of best 

 management practices can assist in the prevention of major environmental crises. 



Because the ocean is "downstream" of all homes, communities, rivers, and watersheds, 

 the health of the ocean is inextricably linked to the health of all the watersheds in the country. 

 Identifying and reducing sources of pollution in "upstream" watersheds will help to maintain and 

 improve the health of the ocean. In October of 1996, the Index of Watershed Indicators was 

 released (U.S. EPA, 1996b). This Index is designed to give the American people ready access to 

 information about water pollution in their communities, and is a compilation of information that 

 presents the first national picture of watershed health in the United States. 



The Index is comprised of fifteen indicators or "data layers" that focus on either the 

 condition of aquatic resources (e.g., fish and wildlife consumption advisories, source water 

 quality for drinking water systems), or the vulnerability of the resources to certain activities (e.g., 

 urban runoff potential, hydrologic modification, or wetlands loss). The Index will continue to be 

 modified, incorporating new information such as atmospheric deposition of pollutants and 

 eutrophication conditions within coastal waters. 



A fundamental improvement in the way the United States monitors its environment is 

 required if it is to meet the challenges of the next several decades. Current monitoring programs 

 do not provide integrated data across multiple natural resources at the various temporal and 

 spatial scales needed to develop policies based on scientific understanding of ecosystem 

 processes. Many monitoring programs identify violations of permits or provide status reports. 

 These networks and programs can be better integrated to provide information needed for 

 effective ecosystem management across a range of spatial scales (CENR, 1996). For example, 

 the EPA is developing new testing methods, monitoring protocols, and water quality standards 

 for pathogens in swimming areas to bring some uniformity to water quality warnings nationwide. 

 Models for storm events are being developed which will enable local communities to predict 

 when pathogen levels are likely to exceed water quality standards due to storm sewer overflows, 

 thus enabling local officials to close beaches in order to prevent potential illness. Proactive 

 monitoring efforts can identify potential problem areas, allowing steps to be taken prior to the 

 collapse of an ecosystem or an event such as a fishkill. 



Management Approaches and the Long Term Challenges 



Significant progress has been made since the early 1970s when many of the 

 environmental laws protecting the ocean were passed (e.g., 1997 marked the 25th anniversary of 

 the passage of the Clean Water Act, which is responsible for among other things for preventing 



33 Coastal communities in New Jersey, for example, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to remove marine debris 

 from their beaches. 



E-22 



