**Acknowledgements**

*Water Quality - Science, Assessments and Policy*

invasive organisms in the Great Lakes.

evaluate coastal waters from many perspectives.

**4. Conclusion**

with earlier survey results and cannot be used to inform human consumption advisories. Refer to the NCCA 2010 technical appendix for further details [34].

Along with evaluating the ecological condition of several major ecological compartments of coastal ecosystems, the NCCA also addressed several matters regarding human health and emerging issues. For instance, in the Great Lakes with the support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) [55], the concentrations in fish tissue of the contaminants mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), flame retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were measured in the Great Lakes NCCA surveys and evaluated against human health screening values [40]. The NCCA also initiated a surveywide monitoring program quantifying aqueous concentrations of the algal toxins microcystin and cylindrospermopsin, as well as mercury in fish muscle. Several exploratory studies were also undertaken to address important issues such as ocean acidification and the distribution of micro-plastics in coastal water. Newer assessment techniques are also under investigation, such as exploring the use of underwater cameras and environmental genetic screening to monitor the expansion of

In retrospect, the mandate issued to the U.S. EPA by the Clean Water Act in 1972 to compile a national assessment of water quality was a bold and challenging directive. No blueprint was available to indicate the best approach of conducting a large-scale assessment program. Tactics regarding monitoring designs, sampling strategies, indicators, thresholds, assessment protocols, etc. all needed to be developed from scratch. The EPA adopted a pragmatic approach to assessing coastal regions, exploring and testing methodologies regionally, and then gradually building a national program based on the best practices learned over 30 years of experimentation. While the NARS-coastal surveys and assessments are not perfect, they represent the first nationally consistent effort, based on current practices, to assess the Nation's coastal waters through time. The data and results represent information available for evaluating national policy and a basis for the scientific community to

The evolution of methodologies and approaches for the NCCA is an ongoing process. Future surveys will continue the practices of adapting current methods to the latest best practices and the adaptation of new strategies, while striving to strike a balance between consistency and creative exploration. The continued importance of partnerships among federal, state and tribal agencies cannot be over-emphasized in achieving the aims of the monitoring program. Such cooperation has proven to be both efficient and productive, and the enhanced capacity of states and tribes to conduct assessments independently is particularly valuable in assuring a sustainable monitoring program. Particularly striking has been the deep commitment of many individuals, research scientists, program planners, crew members, information managers, analysts, communicators, and partners, who have offered feedback and criticism to continuously improve the coastal assessment process. Finally, the development and evolution of coastal assessment expertise described in this chapter is similarly evident in sister NARS programs that assess lakes, rivers and streams, and wetlands. Descriptions of these programs are presented elsewhere in

**3.5 Addressing human-health concerns and emerging issues**

**146**

this book.

These coastal assessments were conducted in partnership with many state and tribal agencies, the National Oceanic and Administration (NOAA), the National Park Service (NPS), as well as other federal agencies. EPA offices included the Office of Research and Development, the Office of Water, Great Lakes National Program Office, and EPA Regional Monitoring Coordinators from Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10. We note the particular efforts of EPA colleagues who contributed to the conception, administration and operation of the coastal surveys, including Kevin Summers, John Paul, Virginia Hansen, Treda Grayson, Sarah Lehmann, and Greg Colianni and many others too numerous to name. Thanks also to EPA colleagues Don Cobb, Charlie Strobel, and Hal Walker who reviewed the chapter. We especially wish to acknowledge the truly invaluable assistance of the hundreds of participants who conducted the assessments, including the field crews, biologists, taxonomists, statisticians, analysts, program administrators, regional coordinators, project managers, quality control officers, and reviewers.
