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National Estuary Program (NEP)

State of the Bay Report for Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries

The National Estuary Program was established by the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 to protect nationally significant estuaries threatened by the pollution, development, and overuse.  National Estuary Programs combine the knowledge and talents of citizen and technical advisors, senior governmental officials and staff, and elected officials (working through a Management Conference) to develop sound scientific information about the estuary and to promote effective management solutions to identified problems.  The Coastal ben estuaries were selected for inclusion in the elite ranks of this 28-member national program in October 1992.

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