EPA Research on Estuarine Water Quality and Ecosystems for the Benefit of Pacific Coastal Communities
Citation:
DeWitt, Ted. EPA Research on Estuarine Water Quality and Ecosystems for the Benefit of Pacific Coastal Communities. Briefing to staff of Congressional Representative Bonamici, Newport, OR, August 07, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
EPAscientists are presenting an overview of water quality and ecosystem services research to staff people for Congressional Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR 1st District), at their request. EPA has been conducting water quality and ecosystem research in collaboration with several federal and state agencies, and key local partners such as Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, to provide new data, knowledge and tools that those organizations may apply to accomplish their goals for the betterment of coastal communities. This briefing summarizes EPAs recent research in three areas: 1) understanding the causes of coastal acidification which threatens local wild and cultured shellfisheries; 2) developing methods to determine the sources of fecal bacteria contamination and the environmental factors that affect levels of bacteria in estuaries and that can lead to closures of shellfisheries; and 3) determining the effects of elevated nutrients, temperature, and tidal flushing on seagrass health to inform management practices to stem the local, regional and national losses of seagrass meadows. Most of the presentation concerns work in progress. Knowledge and tools developed and tested by EPA in regional estuaries are applicable to assessment and management of water quality and ecosystem services in other estuaries and coastal watersheds along the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Description:
This presentation describes EPA Research for a staff visit for Congressional Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR 1st District). It provides an overview of water quality and ecosystem services research by the EPA at the Western Ecology Division. This presentation is given in conjunction with a Congressional visit to Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center campus in Newport, OR.