West Coast

Alaska

(+) NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) approved Alaska's amended Coastal Management Program in December 2005.
(+) Approximately 87% of Alaska's shoreline is publicly owned
(0) A limited surf zone water quality monitoring program began to be implemented in Alaska during Summer 2007.
(-) In a 2009 report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 178 Alaska communities were found to have reported erosion problems. 26 communities were designated “Priority Action Communities” — indicating that they should be considered for immediate action by either initiating an evaluation of potential solutions or continuing with ongoing efforts to manage erosion.
(-) Alaska has only about one public access site for every 12 miles of shoreline.

British Columbia

(+) Since 1972, there has been a moratorium on oil, gas, and mineral exploration and development off the coast of British Columbia.
(+) A new Pacific coast collaborative between British Columbia, Washington, California, Oregon and Alaska has been established to act as a forum for leadership, cooperative action and a common voice on issues affecting the Pacific coast.
(+) The Canadian Government recently committed to a number of valuable initiatives along Canada’s three coasts. These initiatives include increasing the scientific and consultative work being carried out to advance a network of marine protected areas; enhancing pollution prevention and response measures through improved surveillance, enforcement and containment; and providing collaborative opportunities with our partners on ocean and trans-boundary water matters. A federal investment of $42.5 million over three years will help to fund activities aimed at conserving and protecting Canadian oceans. This investment is in addition to the $19 million over the next two years which was announced in the 2007 budget, raising the total commitment to $61.5 million over a five year period.
(+) Court dates have been set, to hear a charge that was laid against the Lions Gate WWTP, which has been accused of polluting coastal waters and violating federal laws aimed at protecting marine habitats. Charges are being laid on both Metro Vancouver and the province for the repeated failure of the plant’s toxicity tests.
(-) The federal government is considering lifting its offshore oil and gas moratorium along the north coast in the Queen Charlotte Basin and the provincial government is pushing for the entire moratorium to be lifted to allow offshore oil and gas development in the Strait of Georgia and off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
(-) In July 2008, False Creek in heart of downtown Vancouver was closed to all recreational users including swimmers, rowers, kayakers and dragon boaters due to record-breaking fecal coliform levels reaching an average count of 2900 FC/100ml. The cause of the spiked coliform levels was discovered to be sewer malfunctions occurring near several major construction projects in the area, such as the Olympic Village and Canada Line. Vancouver Coastal Health waited several days after the data was attained to advise the public of possible health risks. The affected region was effectively closed from July 4th, 2008 through July 9th, 2008.
(-) Stabilization of the main channel of the Fraser River has altered historical sediment deposition patterns across the Fraser River delta. This has in turn limited the amount of sediment being deposited along the Roberts Bank tidal flats, therefore limiting the supply of sand available to this ecosystem and increasing its susceptibility to erosion.

Washington

(+) An encouraging development regarding shoreline armoring occurred in 2007 when rip rap was removed from the shore at Belfair State Park in the Lower Hood Canal area. This was part of a $2 million estuary restoration project designed to improve both the habitat and the public's ability to enjoy the park. The project included removal of a tidal swimming pool and creation of a sandy beach in its place. A rocky wall was removed to create a walking beach, Little Mission Creek bridge was relocated and a small culvert was replaced to enhance fish passage. Now, kayakers and wind surfers can launch from the beach, which was impossible when rip rap lined the shore.
(+) The Washington Department of Natural Resources’ ShoreZone Inventory provides GIS data for the location and type of shoreline structures along Washington’s marine shorelines.
(+) In October 2005, King County announced the completion of a $77 million "Henderson/Martin Luther King Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Project", which features a 15-foot-diameter, two-thirds-mile-long pipe that can hold four million gallons of combined storm drain and sewer overflow water until it can be treated.
(+) Washington tends to look at beaches as an integral part of the nearshore system which is centered on the intertidal zone, and extends both landward and seaward. Washington has a program in place for collecting data related to beach ecology. The Nearshore Habitat Program at the state Department of Natural Resources is the lead agency for this inter-agency program in Washington State.
(+) Washington's Department of Ecology SEA Program website has been significantly enhanced, with a very informative "Washington's Coast" section and aerial photography of the entire coast.
(-) In the 2009 legislative session coastal programs endured deep cuts, including Department of Fish and Wildlife shoreline conservation activities and the Department of Ecology's Water Quality Program and Oil Spill Program. In addition, funding for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, which provides state grants for park, trail, wildlife habitat, farmland preservation, and shoreline access projects was cut 30 percent.
(-) In 2007, seven beaches identified as high use and/or high risk in Washington were not monitored because of a funding shortage created by increased expenses.
(-) Marine life appears to be disappearing rapidly in Puget Sound. Populations of seabirds, fish (pacific cod, whiting, walleye pollock, salmon), crabs, eelgrass, and tidepool life (sea anemones, sea urchins, sea stars) have plummeted in the last few years. Puget Sound herring contain higher levels of contamination that those in Europe's highly polluted Black Sea. "Dead zones" and extensive fish kills are common in Hood Canal.
(-) The Washington Department of Natural Resources’ ShoreZone Inventory found that approximately one-third of all saltwater shorelines in Washington State have some kind of shoreline modification structure (includes boat ramps and landfills). Over 30% of the Puget Sound shoreline is armored; this includes the eastern shoreline of central Puget Sound between Everett and Tacoma that is more than 95% armored.
(-) The "preferred alternative" to deal with erosion problems in Westport consists of the placement of 40,000 tons of 12-inch minus gravel and cobble material along approximately 1,000 linear feet of beach in the southwest corner of Half Moon Bay.

Oregon

(+) A new film Politics of Sand documents the incredible history of Oregon’s Beach Bill.
(+) The Oregon Coastal Management Program partnered with Oregon Sea Grant to create Living on the Edge, Building and Buying Property on the Oregon Coast. The 25-minute DVD is intended to influence the behavior of prospective coastal property buyers and builders by giving them a "reality check" on the unique risks that come with developing along the ocean shore, and explaining the steps that should be taken to avoid problems.
(+) The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is conducting a coast-wide data collection and analysis that focuses on a variety of topical areas, including ecology. This work will be used in their Ocean Shore Management Plan currently being formalized.
(+) 90% of the 362 miles of ocean coastline is open to the public. There is one public beach access site for about every half mile of coastline.
(+) Oregon has created a Coastal Atlas Web site, which is an interactive, searchable, downloadable archive of geo-spatial data. It includes mapping and decision support tools.
(-) The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality proposed a revision to the water clarity (turbidity) standard which would eliminate all protections for water clarity within a 300-foot "mixing zone" near an industrial discharge. It has been estimated that the revised rules would let the average Oregon river become more than 30% murkier at times and smaller streams could become more than twice as murky.
(-) In the past 10 years, there have been 74 permanent permits issued for riprap protection of coastal development. The worst year for beach erosion was 1999, when 27 permanent permits were issued. Nearing the end of 2006 there were six emergency permits, three for Neskowin due to storms during the 2005-2006 winter. Three property owners at Gleneden Beach had applied for emergency permits.

California

(+) In November 2006 California voters passed Proposition 84, which brings $90 million to the Clean Beaches Program for the purpose of providing matching grants for protecting beaches and coastal waters from pollution and toxic contamination.
(+) Starting with the February 2007 meeting, California Coastal Commission meetings are now being broadcast live via the internet at http://www.cal-span.org or through the Coastal Commission Web site. This technology significantly increases public access to the Commission's actions and the issues it deals with. The public also now has the ability to review the broadcasts of previous meetings at the cal-span.org Web site.
(+) California’s coastline north of San Francisco has very little to no shoreline structures.
(+) 70% of Californians say the condition of the coast is important to them personally, 60% of state residents believe the federal government is not doing enough to protect the coast, and 71% of Californians favor establishing more marine reserves along the coast.
(+) Since 1976, the California State Coastal Conservancy has spent over $200 million to support projects that purchase, protect, restore, and enhance coastal resources.
(+) California recognizes waves as a valuable recreational, economic, and cultural resource.
(+) Voters in Los Angeles County passed a $500 million bond measure in November 2004 to address the problem of non-point source pollution. The money is being used to build filtration plants, install cisterns to recycle storm water, install a system to divert stormwater into groundwater supplies, and install screens and other mechanisms to remove trash from rivers and lakes.
(+) Governor Schwarzenegger established a California Ocean Protection Council that guides ocean policy and coastal protection.
(0) California has the largest Ocean Economy in the United States, ranking number one overall for both employment and gross state product.
(-) In late September 2008 Governor Schwarzenegger effectively terminated California's landmark AB 411 beach water quality monitoring program by using his line-item veto power to cut all state funding for the program. Update - although temporary funding for one or perhaps two years of monitoring (at 90 percent of previous levels) was secured in November 2008 from State Water Resources Control Board bond funds, some counties were still not monitoring as of late 2008, and monitoring for the 2009 "AB 411" season will likely be reduced in many locations. Further update - in January 2009 use of the bond funds was halted due to the unresolved state budget crisis.
(-) Since 1980, while inflation has increased 160 percent, the California Coastal Commission's total funding has risen only 9 percent--from $13.5 million to $16.3 million--and at times been cut nearly in half. The commission's full-time staff has been slashed from 200 in 1980 to 138 in early 2008. Since that time, the Commission lost an additional 8.5 positions in the 2008-09 budget. The administration is eliminating 6 more positions in mid-year cuts.
(-) Many beaches along California’s coast are shrinking. One contributing factor is dams that are blocking sand from reaching the coastline. See http://www.calcoast.org/news/beach0050430.html and http://pages.sbcglobal.net/pjenkin/point/
(-) The extent of shoreline armoring increased from about 26 miles to 110 miles between 1971 and 1992. Two strong El Niño winters have occurred since 1990, undoubtedly adding to this total.
(-) 4,736 beach days were affected by closures or advisories during 2007. Water testing has detected human adenoviruses, fecal coliform, and other disease-causing bacteria, pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals.
(-) Every day, 37 ocean outfalls in California discharge over 1.5 billion gallons of sewage containing about 120 million tons of mass solids (sewage sludge).