Water Resources - Pennsylvania Coastal Zones

This layer is the line feature that represents the Coastal Zone Boundary, which delineates Pennsylvania's two coastal zones: the Delaware Estuary Coastal Zone located in southeastern Pennsylvania, and the Lake Erie Coastal Zone located in the northwestern part of the state. The federal Coastal Zone Management Act (Act) defines the coastal zone as coastal waters and the adjacent shorelands, strongly influenced by each other. The zone extends inland from the shoreline only to extend necessary to control shorelands, the uses of which have a direct and significant impact on the coastal waters. The boundary is used as a starting point by persons or agencies to determine if their proposed activities will affect the coastal zones, and are subject to review by the Pennsylvania Coastal Zone Management Program.