1H. Boat Operation Management Measure1

(applies to boating only)

Restrict boating activities where necessary to decrease turbidity and physical destruction of shallow-water habitat.

1. Applicability

This management measure is intended to be applied by States in non-marina surface waters where evidence indicates that boating activities are impacting shallow-water habitats. Under the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments of 1990, States are subject to a number of requirements as they develop coastal nonpoint source programs in conformity with this measure and will have some flexibility in doing so. The application of management measures by States is described more fully in Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program: Program Development and Approval Guidance, published jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

2. Description

Boat operation can resuspend bottom sediment, resulting in the reintroduction of toxic substances into the water column. It can increase turbidity, which affects the photosynthetic activity of algae and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). SAV provides habitat for fish, shellfish, and waterfowl and plays an important role in maintaining water quality through assimilating nutrients. It also reduces wave energy, protecting shorelines and bottom habitats from erosion. Replacing SAV once it has been uprooted or eliminated from an area is difficult, and the science of replacing it artificially is not well-developed. It is therefore important to protect existing SAV. Boat operation may also cut off or uproot SAV, damage corals and oyster reefs, and cause other habitat destruction. The definition of shallow-water habitat should be determined by State policy and should be dependent upon the ecological importance and sensitivity to direct and indirect disruption of the habitats found in the State.

3. Management Measure Selection

This measure was selected because some areas are not suitable for boat traffic due to their shallow water depth and the ecological importance and sensitivity to disruption of the types of habitats in the area. Excluding boats from such areas will minimize direct habitat destruction. Establishing no-wake zones will minimize the indirect impacts of increased turbidity (e.g., decreased light availability).

4. Practices

As discussed more fully at the beginning of this chapter and in Chapter 1, the following practices are described for illustrative purposes only. State programs need not require implementation of these practices. However, as a practical matter, EPA anticipates that the management measure set forth above generally will be implemented by applying one or more management practices appropriate to the source, location, and climate. The practices set forth below have been found by EPA to be representative of the types of practices that can be applied successfully to achieve the management measure described above.