The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the 2010 National Coastal Condition Assessment showing that more than half of the nation's coastal and Great Lakes nearshore waters are rated good for biological and sediment quality, while about one-third are rated good for water quality.
The summarized findings are:
- Biological Quality is rated good in 56% of coastal and Great Lakes nearshore waters. Healthy communities of bottom-dwelling macroinvertebrates (such as worms and clams), which are indicators of biological quality, are supported in these waters.
- Water Quality is rated fair in 48% of coastal and Great Lakes waters and good in 36% when measuring phosphorus, nitrogen, water clarity, chlorophyll a, and dissolved oxygen concentrations. The most widespread stressor for water quality is phosphorus.
- Sediment Quality is rated good in 55% of coastal and Great Lakes nearshore waters based on low levels of sediment contaminants and sediment toxicity.
- Ecological Fish Tissue Quality is rated good for less than 1% of the nation’s waters. This means there is a potential threat to the most sensitive predators (fish, birds, and wildlife) that consume fish in most waters
- Change in conditions were mixed between 2005-2006 and 2010. Water quality remained unchanged, biological quality improved 17%, and sediment quality declined by 22%. od for biological and sediment quality, while about one-third are rated good for water quality.