F 



L—arth. The water planet. Oceans, bays, sounds, rivers, streams, artesian 

 springs. Each offering life-giving abundance. Each seen as an unending resource. 



Scientists tell us that the water on Earth today was present billions of years ago 

 and will continue to renew itself through the hydrologic cycle. Most of us can recall 

 the illustration in an elementary school science book showing precipitation falling — 

 some seeping into the ground, some running into rivers, and flowing to the oceans. 

 Then the water heats, evaporates and enters the atmosphere as gas, only to 

 condense and fall again in some form of precipitation. 



The astronomical amount of water on earth may equal prehistoric times, but 

 what about water quality? What besides two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen is 

 flowing into the groundwater and washing into rivers and oceans? What is the 

 precipitation absorbing from the atmosphere as it falls to Earth ? 



The answer to both questions, of course, is pollution. Ultimately most pollution 

 ends up in coastal waters. And from time to time it manifests itself dramatically in 

 reports of fish kills, closed shellfish beds and recreational areas, or alarming "dead 

 zones" in offshore waters. These red flags raise public awareness and often become 

 catalysts for policy action. 



Federal and State Mandates 



In 1972, Congress enacted the Clean Water Act in response to public concern 

 that many of the nation's waters were in trouble and wetlands were disappearing at 

 a rapid rate. 



According to Walter Clark, North Carolina Sea Grant's legal and policy 

 specialist, "The Clean Water Act laid the foundation for how we manage our 

 nation's waters and wetlands. It provided a framework to address causes of 

 pollution, including municipal and industrial wastewater; to control runoff from 

 urban and rural areas; and to protect wetlands and other aquatic habitat." 



The act developed a permit program for point source pollution — discharge 

 from industry or wastewater plants. In 1987, an amendment addressed nonpoint 

 pollution sources — runoff from pavements, rooftops, crops, lawns and golf 

 courses. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors and sets basic 

 criteria, and states are responsible for implementation. 



Importantly, the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Act of 1977 recognized 

 that air pollution has a significant impact on water quality through atmospheric 

 deposition of various compounds, including toxins and nutrients. According to the 

 National Research Council, if the proposed EPA standards were implemented, 

 atmospherically deposited nitrogen compounds would drop as much as 17 percent 

 in certain estuaries. 



The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 is seen as more enabling than 

 regulatory. It established a partnership between federal and state governments for 

 managing the coast — states adopt policies that meet national objectives, and 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 17 



