EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Environmental Assessment and Prediction Mission
Environmental Stewardship Mission
Crosscutting Initiatives
National Oceanographic Partnership Program
Natural Disaster Reduction Initiative
Clean Water Initiative
South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative
Committee on Environment & Natural Resources
Reducing Costs and Improving Effectiveness
Budget Request--
Traditional Structure
Budget Request--
Strategic Plan Structure
Supplementary Tables
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Clean Water Initiative
NOAA's FY 1999 budget request includes $22.0 million to support the Administration's
Clean Water Initiative. This Initiative will help protect coastal communities
from toxics and reduce the flow of pollution into coastal waters from nonpoint
sources (e.g., runoff from agricultural fields, city streets, and other
areas). Polluted runoff is now a major source of coastal water pollution
and one of the primary factors associated with outbreaks of harmful algal
blooms (e.g., Pfiesteria) and the spread of hypoxic zones in U.S. coastal
waters.
Communities, businesses and human health are increasingly threatened
by polluted runoff and the symptoms of polluted coastal waters. For example,
every year degraded water quality causes warnings or closures of thousands
of beaches resulting in losses to tourism and recreation industries. Degraded
water quality continues to close or restrict the use of nearly 30 perrcent
of U.S. shellfish growing areas. This includes 4.5 million acres or 50 percent
of the shellfish growing area in the Gulf of Mexico, the Nation's top shellfish-producing
region. Over the past 20 years, harmful algal blooms have impacted nearly
every coastal state and produced an estimated $1.0 billion in economic losses.
Recent NOAA surveys indicate that 53 percent of U.S. estuaries experience
hypoxic conditions (low dissolved oxygen) and 30% experience anoxia (no
dissolved oxygen) at some time each year. The increasing frequency and magnitude
of these problems suggests that significant action is required now to reduce
the costs and symptoms of nonpoint source pollution, and improve the quality
of U.S. coastal waters.
NOAA's FY 1999 request will strengthen and enhance critical research,
monitoring and coastal management capabilities of the National Ocean Service
required to address the sources of nonpoint source pollution and symptoms
of degraded coastal waters (e.g., harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, beach closings,
shellfish advisories).
An increase of $6.0 million in FY 1999 will provide coastal states with
technical support to reduce nonpoint source pollution. By FY 1999, 29 coastal
states will have approved Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Programs
that require funds for implementation. Working with other Federal, state
and local agencies, NOAA will use Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Act Section
309 Enhancement Grants to fund these programs and implement on-the-ground
management measures to control polluted runoff in coastal areas.
Three states (Texas, Georgia and Ohio) recently entered the Coastal Zone
Management Program and will be working to develop coastal nonpoint control
programs. Additional funding of $6.0 million will support the development
of nonpoint control programs in these new CZM states through Nonpoint Pollution
Control Program (6217) Grants. These grants will also be used to assist
coastal states with conditionally approved nonpoint programs to address
the conditions and manage and implement their ongoing programs.
Funding of $9.0 million will enable NOAA to continue participation in
the National Pfiesteria Research and Monitoring Strategy and the Ecology
and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) program. Funding of $1.0
million of these funds will provide research on the impacts and control
of pfiesteria through NOAA's Charleston laboratory. Funding of $2.9 million
of these funds will provide research and monitoring activities to better
understand and predict bloom impacts. Funding of $2.9 million will support
ECOHAB to develop and implement control, prevention, and mitigation strategies.
Funding of $2.3 million will also allow NOAA to work cooperatively with
partners and stakeholders, through grants to states, universities, and communities
to develop rapid monitoring and assessment capabilities and respond to costly
blooms of harmful algae.
An increase of $1.0 million in FY 1999 will enhance NOAA's capabilities
to address the impacts of hazardous waste sites on coastal water quality
and NOAA trust resources. Funds will allow NOAA's Coastal Resource Coordination
Program to address these serious environmental threats sooner and more effectively,
expedite restoration and cleanup of coastal natural resources without costly
litigation, share NOAA's technical expertise, and create cost effective
approaches for remediating waste site contamination as part of the Clean
Water Initiative. |