1 / 11

EPA’s Role in Protecting Coastal Water Quality

EPA’s Role in Protecting Coastal Water Quality. June 6, 2007 Economics of Coastal Communities Panel Craig Hooks, Director Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds US Environmental Protection Agency. Protecting and Restoring Ocean/Coastal Water Quality and Ecosystems.

herb
Download Presentation

EPA’s Role in Protecting Coastal Water Quality

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. EPA’s Role in Protecting Coastal Water Quality June 6, 2007 Economics of Coastal Communities Panel Craig Hooks, Director Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds US Environmental Protection Agency

  2. Protecting and Restoring Ocean/CoastalWater Quality and Ecosystems • Clean water is essential for healthy coastal communities • Economic benefits of ocean and coastal waters and ecosystems are significant • Benefits depend on clean water and healthy ecosystems • Water quality and living resource degradation in many coastal watersheds is a problem • Threats come from various activities, including those far upstream

  3. Today’s Presentation • EPA’s role in coastal communities: • Subcommittee on Integrated Management of Ocean Resources (SIMOR) • National Estuary Program • Green infrastructure in coastal communities

  4. The Ocean Action Plan—Integrating Federal Activity • SIMOR—interagency body promoting Federal agency collaboration • Work plan targets four priority areas • Regional collaborations • Science/management integration • Enhance resource management to improve use and conservation • Enhance ocean education

  5. National Estuary Program

  6. NEP National Coastal Condition Report

  7. Green Infrastructure in Coastal Communities • Cleaner, Cheaper, Smarter • Uses or mimics natural processes • Generates ecological services • Keeps water on-site, out of sewer systems • Reduces combined sewer overflow and stormwater discharges to rivers, streams, estuaries, and coasts • Eliminates significant discharges of sediment, pathogens, and other pollutants Pervious Parking Green Roof

  8. Green Infrastructure • Helps coastal communities: • control stormwater and combined sewer overflows • comply with permits and the Clean Water Act • protect sources of clean drinking water • keep beaches and shellfish beds open • save money on traditional concrete & steel treatment technologies

  9. Green Infrastructure • Growing list of coastal communities: • Portland (OR) • Seattle (WA) • Chicago (IL) • Philadelphia (PA) • New York (NY) • Prince George’s Co. (MD) • Emoryville (CA) • Warsaw and Stafford counties (VA) Seattle Green Street Boston City Hall Green Roof

  10. Green Infrastructure • Green Highways Partnership • Diverts flow to medians and rights of way • Protects critical habitat • Uses recycled materials • Promotes permeable pavements, and other cutting-edge technologies Prince George’s County, MD

  11. Thank You For more information: EPA – http://www.epa.gov/owow SIMOR – http://ocean.ceq.gov NEP – http: //www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries

More Related