Annex 2: Nearshore Framework Implementation in the United States

The United States uses a system of long-standing collaborative programs between federal agencies, states, and tribes to

• assess,
• protect, and
• ensure the restoration of the quality of nearshore waters in the Great Lakes.

The following sections provide a very brief introduction to the components of the U.S. Nearshore Framework implementation. For more detailed information use the links found throughout this page.

Assessing nearshore waters through the 2020 National Coastal Condition Assessment (NCCA)

The NCCA is a national monitoring program, implemented by EPA in partnership with State and Tribal agencies, that uses a standardized sampling procedure to provide scientifically-defensible regional estimates of coastal environmental health. NCCA surveys began in the Great Lakes in 2010, repeating every 5 years. This program monitors

• water quality,
• bottom-dwelling (benthic) community health,
• sediment quality,
• microcystin,
• enterococci, and
• contaminants in fish tissue that affect fish-eating wildlife.

This information used by federal, state, and tribal agencies directs future protection and restoration activities. Additional information about the NCCA survey design and indicators is available at the NCCA website and the 2015 NCCA report is available here.  A special report with a focus on the Great Lakes findings from 2015 will be available later this year.

The 2020 survey expanded geographically with survey intensifications in

• the three sub-basins of Lake Erie,
• Chequamegon Bay in Lake Superior,
• Green Bay in Lake Michigan, and
• the nearshore of large islands and National Park Service waters of Lake Michigan.  -

A small number of Great Lakes sites could not be sampled during the 2020 index period (June 1 through September 30) due to field work challenges brought on by the global Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore the 2020 base survey was completed in 2021, with several of the intensifications to be completed in 2022.  The data from the 2020 survey are shared with state and tribal partners as part of EPA’s quality assurance review.  Once all data have met quality assurance standards, they will be made publicly available at the National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) data sharing site and the results will be summarized in a 2020 NCCA report.    

Protecting nearshore waters from coastal impacts through the National Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP)

The National Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP), a voluntary partnership between NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and States, provides the basis for protecting, restoring, and responsibly developing diverse coastal communities and resources. Each of the Great Lakes States participates in this program, tailoring their activities to address their coastal management and protection needs in ways that also promote economic and cultural interests. Primary coastal management issues in the Great Lakes include coastal hazards, public access, habitat restoration, and water quality and technical and financial assistance for local partners.

Protecting nearshore waters from bacterial contamination through the BEACH Act

The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act) supports states and tribes in monitoring their Great Lakes public beaches for bacterial contamination. Under the BEACH ACT, the EPA evaluates and establishes criteria for pathogens and pathogen indicators for states and tribes to use in their monitoring efforts.  Sample results, and models developed using monitoring data, help to implement beach advisory and notification programs around the Great Lakes.  In addition, beach sanitary surveys conducted determine sources of pathogenic pollution at beaches so that mitigation work to eliminate the contaminant sources can occur.

Ensuring the restoration of nearshore waters through Clean Water Act Section 303(d): Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

As a regulatory backstop, all Great Lakes states actively monitor water quality in the coastal areas of the Great Lakes to fulfill the Clean Water Act Sections 305(b) and 303(d), which requires states to report on conditions in their surface waters and identify impaired waters. States provide this information in their Integrated Reports. Typical impairments in the Great Lakes include elevated bacterial concentrations at public beaches and restrictions of fish consumption due to contaminants. TMDLs developed for impaired waterbodies, establishes the maximum amount of a pollutant allowed in a waterbody, serving as the starting point, or planning tool for restoring water quality. How's My Waterway provides publicly available information about the condition of their local waters based on data that states, federal, tribal, local agencies and others have provided to EPA.

Identifying, restoring, and protecting areas of high ecological value

The nearshore zone of the Great Lakes is abundant in aquatic life and the shoreline is rich with natural features such as coastal wetlands, sand beaches and dunes, lakeplain prairies, and oak savannas. More than 130 globally rare communities and species are found with the Great Lakes basin ecosystem.

In previous decades much work done identified ecologically important areas within the Great Lakes basin.  Working binationally through the State of the Lake Ecosystem Conference, areas of outstanding biodiversity were identified, including nearshore terrestrial habitats and a biodiversity conservation strategy has been developed for each of the Great Lakes. Additionally, indicators of coastal wetland health were developed alongside protocols to collect critical data across the more than 1,000 coastal wetlands that currently exist in the Great Lakes. These sampling protocols and indicators are currently being used assess status and trends of this important binational resource. View maps of coastal wetlands and assessments of relative quality based on indicators.

The Great Lakes coastline still retains large sections of ecological value worthy of restoration and protection. Supported through a variety of governmental grant programs, communities have developed and implemented restoration projects throughout the U.S. Great Lakes basin. In recent years, this work has been significantly advanced through the Great Lake Restoration Initiative funding. View a map of projects funded under the Habitat and Species Focus Area of the GLRI. Working with communities throughout the Great Lakes,

• More than 5,400 river-miles have been cleared for fish passage.
• More than 440,000 acres of habitat, including over 60,500 acres of coastal wetlands, have been protected, restored, or enhanced.
• Since 2015, 50 projects focusing on federally-listed endangered, threatened, and candidate Great Lakes aquatic and terrestrial species have been completed in the Great Lakes.