1.0 Introduction 
1.1 Program Background 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) both perform a broad range of research and 
monitoring activities to assess the status and potential effects of human activities on the 
health of coastal ecosystems and to promote the use of this information in protecting 
and restoring the Nation’s coastal resources. Authority to conduct such work is 
provided through several legislative mandates including the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 
1977 (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), National Coastal Monitoring Act (Title V of the Marine 
Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 2801-2805), and the National 
Marine Sanctuary Act of 2000. Where possible the two agencies have sought to 
coordinate related activities through partnerships with states and other institutions to 
prevent duplications of effort and bring together complementary resources to fulfill 
common research and management goals. Accordingly, in summer 2003, NOAA, EPA, 
and partnering West Coast states — Washington (WA), Oregon (OR), and California 
(CA) — combined efforts to conduct a joint survey of ecological condition of aquatic 
resources in near-coastal waters along the U.S. western continental shelf using multiple 
indicators of ecological condition. The study is an expansion of EPA’s Environmental 
Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) and subsequent National Coastal 
Assessment (NCA), which seek to assess condition of the Nation’s environmental 
resources within a variety of coastal and terrestrial resource categories. The coastal 
component of EMAP/NCA on the West Coast of the U.S. began in 1999 with a focus in 
estuaries (see Nelson et al. 2004, 2005; Hayslip et al. 2006; Wilson and Partridge 2007; 
U.S. EPA 2001,2004, 2006). The current assessment, based on sampling conducted 
in summer 2003, extends this work to near-coastal shelf waters (depths of 30-120 m) 
from the Canadian to Mexican borders (see Figures 3.1.1 -3.1.9 below). 
A focus of the study was on the collection and analysis of water, sediment, and 
biological samples using standard methods and indicators applied in previous coastal 
EMAP/NCA projects (U.S. EPA 2001,2004; Nelson et al. 2004). A key feature was the 
incorporation of a stratified-random sampling design, with stations (257 total) stratified 
by State and National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) status. Each of the three states (WA, 
Oregon, California) was represented by at least 50 random stations. There also were a 
total of 84 random stations included within NOAA’s five NMSs along the West Coast. 
The probabilistic sampling design provided a basis for making unbiased statistical 
estimates of the spatial extent of ecological condition relative to various measured 
indicators and corresponding thresholds of concern. These included standard 
EMAP/NCA ecological indicators of water quality, sediment quality, and biological 
condition (benthic fauna and fish). 
Assessments of status relative to these various indicators are presented in the 
present report on a region-wide basis, by State, and by NMS vs. non-sanctuary status. 
The state-level information will be of value to EPA and the States in their efforts to meet 
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