Number: 97-644 Title: NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO PROTECTING COASTAL WATER QUALITY Authors: David M. Bearden, Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division Abstract: Estuaries are coastal bays or rivers and their freshwater tributaries. The Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 (P.L. 100-4) established the National Estuary Program (NEP) to identify nationally significant estuaries that are threatened by pollution, development, or overuse and to promote comprehensive planning to restore and protect them. There currently are 28 estuaries in the program. This report explains how the NEP functions, includes a history of appropriations, and discusses public uses, common environmental problems, and corrective actions to restore and protect water quality in 11 estuaries along the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts and the Gulf of Mexico. Pages: 14 Date: Updated January 12, 2001