Unit:National Estuary Program
National Estuary Program (NEP)
Currently, 28 estuaries located along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts and in Puerto Rico are designated as estuaries of national significance.
Each NEP has a Management Conference (MC) that consists of diverse stakeholders and uses a collaborative, consensus-building approach. The MCs develop and implement Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans (CCMP), long-term plans that contain actions to address water quality and living resource challenges and priorities. The EPA provides annual funding, national guidance and technical assistance to the local NEPs.
The Indian River Lagoon was nominated as an Estuary of National Significance and joined the NEP in 1990 under the sponsorship of the St. Johns and South Florida Water Management Districts. Today, the Indian River Lagoon NEP Management Conference is the IRL Council, a special district of Florida.
The IRLNEP's CCMP has been published in 1997, 2008 and a 2019 final draft is currently under review.The NEP is a collaborative, efficient, and adaptable ecosystem-based network of organizations that protects and restores 28 estuaries of national significance.
Hierarchy
Affiliations
Parent Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Water; Office of Wetlands Oceans and Watersheds
Subsidiaries: Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program
Partners: IRL Council; Association of National Estuary Programs
Contact
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Mail Code 4204M
Disclaimer: This information is for organizational purposes only. The presence of an Organization's information on this Website should not be viewed as an endorsement of the Website by the Organization. Nor should an Organization's presence on the Website be viewed as an endorsement of the Organization by the Website.
