1998 Year of the Ocean Perspectives on Marine Environmental Quality 



working together with states to better understand and control harmfiil algal blooms in general and 

 Pfiesteria in particular. This includes investigating what steps can be taken to reduce nutrient 

 pollution in an effort to help prevent these outbreaks and their effects. 



Dredged Material Management 



The disposal of dredged material can be a controversial issue but one that must be 

 addressed in order to keep the nation's ports and harbors open. An action plan developed by an 

 interagency federal working group is now being implemented for improving the management of 

 dredged materials to ensure timely and effective dredging while meeting environmental goals 

 (U.S. DOT, 1994). Eighteen specific recommendations were identified for improving dredged 

 material management, one of which was to improve federal agency coordination. Consequently, 

 a National Dredging Team of federal agencies was created and Regional Dredging Teams are 

 being established to assist in coordination and issue resolution. In addition. Local Planning 

 Groups are being established which will include all interested stakeholders. These groups will be 

 charged with developing long term dredged material management plans. Finally, a national 

 dredging policy has been established which recognizes the need for timely and effective dredging 

 to assure the viability of the nation's ports and that the aquatic environment is a critical asset 

 which must be protected. 



Marine Debris Monitoring Program 



An interagency workgroup has developed a statistically-based national marine debris 

 monitoring protocol to quantify amounts of debris and identify debris sources. Implementation of 

 this protocol began in 1996, under the National Marine Debris Monitoring Program.'''' The use of 

 a statistical protocol will assist in enabling the assessment and implementation of practices to 

 prevent marine debris from entering marine waters. This in turn will protect marine life from 

 harm due to marine debris and reduce costs borne by coastal communities to remove marine 

 debris from beaches. To date, this monitoring program has been established on the Atlantic and 

 Gulf Coasts, and similar programs have been adopted in other areas of the world such as Ireland, 

 countries in the Caribbean, and Canada. 



Beaches Environmental Assessment, Closure and Health (BEACH) Program 



Swimming at the nation's coastal areas continues to be one of Americans' top vacation 

 choices, yet many beaches are not adequately monitored for disease causing microorganisms. As 

 a result, vacationers may be putting themselves at risk of illness, which can ruin more than just 

 their day at the beach. Through the new BEACH Program, initiated in May 1997. EPA in 

 partnership with state, tribal, and local governments will be working to keep beachgoers better 

 informed of the water quality conditions where they are swimming. The adoption of updated 

 water quality standards for bacteria, faster testing methods, enhanced monitoring and notification 



34 Implemented by the Center for Marine Conservation under a grant from the U.S. EPA. 



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