harbor planning. The flushing of sanitary facilities and dumping of pollutants must be 

 controlled by ordinance and by provision of pumpout stations and garbage and trash 

 collection services at convenient locations. Surface runoff waters accumulate contaminants, 

 and their discharge directly into the harbor should be prevented as much as possible. 

 Although storm drains should be diverted away from the harbor, some local surface water 

 and drains may have to discharge into it. In this case, extra care should be taken to keep 

 harbor streets, parking lots and other marginal surfaces reasonably clean, and to prevent 

 fertihzed landscapes from overflowing when watered. 



The biostimulated deterioration of water quaMty is largely a function of biochemical 

 oxygen demand (BOD). The input of nitrates, phosphates, and siUcates in sewage and 

 surface runoff stimulates aquatic plant Ufe, which then dies and decomposes, using up large 

 quantities of dissolved oxygen in the process. This in turn leads to the demise of 

 water-dweUing animal life, which needs oxygen to survive. The result is turbid and often 

 foul-smelUng water. This is an oversimplified account of a rather complex chain of events; 

 its many ramifications are best known to the marine biologist. However, an occasional check 

 on dissolved oxygen levels in various parts of a harbor will indicate whether corrective 

 action is needed. In most States, control agencies establish the level of water quality that 

 must be maintained in harbor areas and reservoirs and provide the necessary testing. 



The problems and the plant and animal Ufe involved differ in freshwater and saltwater. 

 Seawater is considerably more aseptic than freshwater, and fairly low rates of exchange may 

 be capable of controlling large amounts of contamination. When man interferes with natural 

 processes near the ocean where freshwater rivers become tidal, care should be exercised not 

 to upset the salinity balance. The U.S. Federal Water Quahty Control Administration 

 recommends that, "For the protection of marine and estuarine organism, no changes in 

 channels, in the basin geometry of the area, or in freshwater inflow should be made that 

 would cause permanent changes in isohaline patterns of more than ±10 percent of the 

 natural variation." 



b. Preservation of the Ecology. In recent years, considerable attention has been given to 

 the effects of man's enterprise in coastal areas on aquatic Ufe, from the smallest one-celled 

 creatures to fish, birds, and water-oriented animals. In the construction of artificial harbors, 

 the habitat of many living creatures may be disturbed. As a result, fish and wildlife 

 administrations of most States now exercise considerable control over such activities and 

 often require special permits and comprehensive environmental impact statements for the 

 construction of all new faciUties and for the expansion of existing ones. The National 

 Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-190) requires an environmental impact 

 statement on all actions or projects partly or whoUy funded by Federal allocations and on 

 major structures requiring Federal permits. This statement must ^describe: (a) the 

 environmental impact of the proposed action, (b) any adverse environmental effects that 

 cannot be avoided should the proposal be implemented, (c) alternatives to the proposed 



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