National Estuary Program

The NEP is a non-regulatory program established by Congress under section 320 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1987 to pioneer a broad and innovative approach to respond to threats to estuaries.

The National Estuary Program (NEP) is an EPA place-based program to protect and restore the water quality and ecological integrity of estuaries of national significance. Currently, 28 estuaries located along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts and in Puerto Rico are designated as estuaries of national significance. These NEPs were selected after national solicitations seeking nominations to the program and are located in a variety of institutional settings, including state and local agencies, universities and individual nonprofits. In overseeing and managing the national program, EPA provides annual funding, national guidance and technical assistance to the local NEPs.

In keeping with section 320 of the CWA, the 28 NEPs develop and implement Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans (CCMPs), which are long-term plans that contain sustained actions to protect and restore water quality and living resources. CCMPs identify a study area or geographic boundary within which the plan is focused and actions are implemented under Section 320 of the Clean Water Act. The challenges, priorities, and actions in the CCMP reflect the study area and are determined by local, city, state, federal, private and non-profit stakeholders.

Each NEP has a Management Conference (MC) that consists of diverse stakeholders and uses a collaborative, consensus-building approach to implement the CCMP. Moreover, each MC ensures that the CCMP is uniquely tailored to the local environmental conditions and is based on local input, thereby supporting local priorities.