ment it. The need for it wasn't there yet; it 

 was too early." If conflicts then had been as 

 heavy as they are now, he continues, the 

 story might be different. 



Like other counties subject to CAMA, 

 Carteret is required to develop its own 

 land-use plans based on general state 

 guidelines. But CAMA does not mandate 

 formal water-use planning, even though 

 the state emphasizes the importance of 

 managing water areas in preserving coastal 

 resources. 



Clark's model plan proposed a water- 

 use planning structure that followed the 

 pattern of existing land-use planning 

 practices. First, Clark examined local, state 

 and federal laws, regulations and ordi- 

 nances that applied to the county's 

 estuarine waters and shoreline. Then, using 

 Geographic Information System (GIS) 

 technology, Clark classified the county's 

 waters and suggested regulations for their 

 use that would not conflict with pre- 

 existing laws. 



The planning strategy differed from 

 the land-use planning model in one 

 significant way. "Public waters are state- 

 owned," he explains, while land is usually 

 under private ownership. Technically, the 

 state owns most of North Carolina's 

 coastal creeks, rivers, estuaries and sounds 

 — and the ocean waters to a distance of 

 three miles offshore — and holds them in 

 trust for the public. The state has the 

 responsibility to act as steward for these 

 waters and to regulate their use, but it can 

 pass some of that authority to local 

 governments. 



Right now the CRC requires land-use 

 plans for North Carolina's 20 coastal 

 counties, but the plans have historically 

 stopped at the water's edge, ignoring the 

 large aquatic areas included within many 

 counties' jurisdictional boundaries. Clark 

 suggests that the planning process be 

 extended to cover the water as well. 



Combined plans like these would 

 require counties and municipalities to think 

 about appropriate uses for water and would 

 mean increased cooperation between land 

 and water activities. Regulations could 

 affect the siting of new marinas or public 

 boat ramps, and could work with habitat 



management plans to protect environments 

 critical for juvenile fish or crabs. Proactive 

 plans that take into account both water- 

 based and shoreline activities could help 

 predict and prevent future water-use 

 conflicts. 



In the model plan for Carteret County, 

 for example, Clark surveyed existing water 

 resources and uses — like beds of 

 submerged aquatic vegetation, navigation 

 channels, recreational and commercial 

 fishing areas, and high-population 

 shorelines — in order to classify water 

 areas. The North Carolina Center for 

 Geographic Information and Analysis 

 digitized the data from the survey as a 

 series of "layers" that could be mapped and 

 overlapped to provide intersections 

 between various water uses. 



By using GIS to view all the layers at 

 once, Clark could determine which areas of 

 Carteret County were already heavily 

 developed and which needed special 

 protection because of environmental 

 importance. Classifying and mapping 

 specific water areas in this way would assist 



local governments in designating areas for 

 certain policies to apply. Advisory boards 

 and public hearings would help kx:al 

 governments determine their individual 

 water-use goals and to develop policies 

 mandating those goals. But without 

 leadership from the state, it's hard for local 

 governments to formulate wide-reaching 

 water-use plans, Clark says. 



Daughtridge, with the DCM, agrees to 

 some extent: "Most local governments 

 don't have the resources or GIS capacity to 

 do in-depth analyses." But, she adds, there 

 is funding available for certain water-use 

 projects. 



"CAMA does have a beach and 

 waterfront access grant program to help 

 local governments acquire or develop 

 waterfront properties to get the pedestrian 

 public to the water," Daughtridge says. 

 Local governments could also use 

 CAMA's planning and management grants 

 to develop detailed water-management 

 plans if they chose. Grant offerings are sent 

 to local governments in early spring. 



Con! i n u e d 



Boats of all sizes pass through North Carolina 's waters; 

 a new CAMA regulation dictates where they may anchor. 



COASTWATCH 17 



