National Estuary Program
In 1987, Congress established the National Estuary Program (NEP) to protect estuaries threatened by the degradation caused by human activity. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers the program, provides financial and technical support to NEPs.
NEPs are collaborative, community-based entities that address issues facing the estuaries with specific environmental protection actions. Each NEP develops and implements a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for the designated study area. CCMPs must carry specific actions that will address priority problems, identify parties to implement the actions, develop a plan to ensure implementation occurs and funding for each action.
Three of the 28 nationally designated estuaries are in Region 10: Puget Sound, Lower Columbia River, and Tillamook Bay.
Puget Sound
Puget Sound was one of the original NEP programs. The first CCMP was approved in 1991. In 2007, due to persistent threats to our valuable ecosystem, Washington State created the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) to reinvigorate efforts.
In 2008, PSP released an Action Agenda that describes a set of actions and priorities to restore and protect Puget Sound by 2020.
The Action Agenda identifies the following threats:
- Habitat Alteration and Land Conversion
- Pollution
- Surface and Groundwater Supply
- Invasive Species
- Artificial Propagation of Species
- Harvest
Actions identified were organized around five priority strategies:
- Protect Intact Ecosystem Processes, Structures, and Functions
- Restore Ecosystem Processes, Structures, and Functions
- Prevent Water Pollution at its Source
- Work Together
- Build an Implementation, Monitoring, and Accountability Management System
