1998 Year of the Ocean Coastal Tourism and Recreation 



The direct contribution to coastal economies made by cleaning up coastal waters is often 

 not ftilly recognized. A recent report by the EPA indicates that in seven estuaries alone', tourism 

 and beach going activities generate economic benefits of more than $16 billion to their respective 

 regions (EPA, 1997). Clearly, these benefits depend on the maintenance of clean coastal waters 

 and attractive ecosystems. 



While substantial progress has been made in improving coastal water quality since 1972, 

 much remains to be done. Meanwhile, reauthorization of the Clean Water Act has been stalled 

 for several years, the national policy framework for dealing with non-point source pollution 

 remains somewhat unclear, and funding levels for water quality improvement programs are 

 inadequate. Furthermore, the nation needs to decide if the current largely voluntary approach to 

 non-point source pollution will be sufficient, especially for dealing with agricultural run-off 

 problems. 



Management of Coastal Hazards 



In siting coastal resorts and other facilities, there is understandably a predilection for 

 locating in beautifiil but high-risk zones that are as close as physically possible to the edge of the 

 sea, or otherwise take advantage of scenic views and proximity to beaches and ocean recreation. 

 Of course, it is precisely these areas that are most vulnerable to both long-term and episodic 

 coastal hazards: such as erosion, storms, and floods. 



While government cannot be expected to protect individuals from their own recklessness, 

 it does have a responsibility to provide the information necessary to permit informed decisions to 

 be made with regard to the kinds and degrees of risk associated with living in various parts of the 

 coastal zone. Furthermore, coastal areas that are clearly hazardous as building sites should be 

 reserved for other uses. Government also has the responsibility to provide adequate warnings of 

 impending storms or other hazardous conditions, and to develop plans for coping with such 

 emergencies. Several government programs exist to meet these needs as discussed below. 



At the federal level, FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Coastal 

 Zone Management Program exist, in part, to address these problems. The NFIP offers flood 

 insurance to coastal landowners in communities that have met government standards for building 

 in coastal areas (elevating structures above a designated flood level, designation of high hazard 

 areas where no building is allowed, etc.). FEMA is also responsible for supporting and 

 facilitating the work of state emergency preparedness offices in the preparation of coastal 

 evacuation plans and plans to deal with disasters such as hurricanes both during the event and 

 during the clean-up and reconstruction phases. NOAA's National Weather Service devotes 

 considerable resources to the job of providing timely "state-of-the-art" forecasts and predictions 

 of hurricanes and other coastal storms. 



'Casco Bay (Maine), Long Island Sound (New York, Connecticut), Massachusetts Bay (Massachusetts), Alberniarie-Pamiico 

 Sounds (North Carolina), Galveston Bay (Texas), San Francisco Bay (California), and Santa Monica Bay (California)) 



F-13 



