Harbor Plan for the Town of Provincetown

Provincetown Harbor is an attractive focus of activity for the entire community which surrounds it. The Harbor area is a complex place that requires public attention to ensure appropriate use and a clean environment. The Provincetown Harbor Plan establishes practical steps to meet these goals. This Plan values the present character and activities within the Harbor area. Rather than seeking dramatic changes, the objective of the Plan is to enhance the Harbor through better management and by accomplishing a list of coordinated improvements. The Plan envisions a future Provincetown Harbor with substantially greater access and a more pleasant character along the waterfront for all of its users. The Plan calls for many small scale improvements, each planned and designed with respect for the special qualities of its particular circumstances and the uses which will be served

Urban Harbors Institute: Engaging Communities, Applying Research

Stakeholder engagement is a major component of nearly all of the Institute’s work. Community members, those working in ocean and coastal-based industries, and advocates for environmental quality, bring knowledge and perspectives to complement the Institute’s science, policy, and technical analyses. Broad stakeholder participation enriches the process, improves the outcomes, and strengthens the likelihood that management recommendations will be implemented

The Urban Harbors Institute

The Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) is a public policy and applied-science research center focused on issues affecting urban waterfronts and coastal and ocean resources. Our mission is to increase understanding of the marine environment, improve management practices, and promote informed decision making at the local, state and national levels. UHI employs a multidisciplinary approach in all its research and education projects, blending science, policy, and management

Federal Consistency in New Jersey

A discussion paper prepared as part of a focus group on the topic of Federal Consistency in New Jersey. In 1972, the U. S. Congress passed the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), designed to “preserve, protect, develop, and where possible, to restore and enhance the resources of the nation\u27s coastal zone.” The CZMA encouraged coastal states to develop and implement comprehensive management programs that balance the need for coastal resource protection with the need for economic growth and development within the coastal zone. In the latter portion of the 1970s New Jersey developed a coastal management plan that was fully approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1980. The plan defined specific boundaries for the state’s coastal zone and established enforceable policies that ensured that the state plan had a statutory and regulatory basis. These enforceable policies are the state’s Coastal Zone Management Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:7E et seq.). The CZMA empowered states with approved plans to review federal actions that have a reasonably foreseeable effect on any land or water use or natural resources of the state’s coastal zone in order to ensure that such activities are consistent to the maximum extent practicable with those plans

Institutional Structure of the New Jersey Coastal Zone Management Program

A discussion paper prepared as part of a series of focus groups on the topic of the Institutional Structure of the New Jersey Coastal Zone Management Program. The federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA), since amended, was established to help states and territories to develop and implement comprehensive coastal management programs formed around “enforceable policies”— the establishment of guiding principles and policies that are supported by a regulatory program. These enforceable policies also drive planning, funding, and outreach efforts by a state’s program

Final Report: An Assessment to Determine the Most Suitable Location and Design for the Development of a City-run, Boat Sewage Pumpout Facility to Service Commercial and Recreational Vessels that Utilize the Waters within the Jurisdiction of the City of Boston

This report presents the findings of a site and equipment feasibility study, as well as, a permit overview for the installation of a vessel sewage pumpout system for servicing commercial and recreational vessels in the City of Boston. As part of the analysis, we reviewed a number of sites located within the City of Boston’s jurisdiction in Boston Harbor. We contacted facilities that have made recent investments in commercial grade pumpouts to learn more about the available technology. In analyzing the permit process, we reviewed local zoning requirements and had conversations with relevant City and state officials. The project, as currently conceived, is to install a vessel sewage pumpout in Boston’s Inner Harbor. As some commercial vessels have onboard sewage pumps while others do not, it is envisaged that the pumpout would need to be able to cater to both types of vessels. To this end, it would require a direct sewer line hook-up for those vessels equipped with onboard pumps, as well as a shoreside pumpout for the other vessels. Such a system would also be able to service recreational vessels. The pumpout must be conveniently located for commercial vessel traffic and it must have the power, capacity and adaptability to serve a varied fleet of boats. The pumpout would be connected directly to the municipal sewer system and ideally the necessary sewer infrastructure would already be in place

America\u27s Green Ports: Environmental Management and Technology at US Ports

America\u27s Green Ports: Environmental Management and Technology at US Ports is a compendium of case studies presenting a selection of innovative and cost-effective management practices and technologies employed by US ports to avoid, prevent, minimize, mitigate or remediate environmental impacts associated with port development and operations. This compendium of projects is one product of the US EPA, Office of Water’s Green Ports Program. It follows the 1998 publication of the Environmental Management Handbook prepared by the American Association of Port Authorities, also funded by the US EPA\u27s Office of Water. That report provides practical information on incorporating environmental stewardship into all aspects of port operations and development. The case studies presented here provide an illustration of the variety of approaches that actually have been utilized with proven results in US ports

Weir River Area of Critical Environmental Concern: Natural Resources Inventory

The Weir River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) was designated by the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs in 1986 in recognition of one of the largest and most productive salt marsh ecosystems in the Boston Harbor area. As an ACEC, the region is afforded additional attention and protection from state agencies in order to achieve the goals of designation--to restore, enhance, and manage the resources. The region was nominated by residents of the abutting communities of Hull, Hingham, and Cohasset who took the opportunity to call attention to the uniqueness of the environment and to their concerns that development pressures threatened the estuary\u27s integrity. The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) administers the ACEC Program for the Secretary of Environmental Affairs. This natural resources inventory, as well as a hydrologic flow study for the Weir River ACEC, were funded by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative. This document comprises a Natural Resources Inventory for the Weir River ACEC, summarizing existing research and the knowledge and experience of local experts and residents who are most familiar with the ACEC\u27s natural environment. The inventory could be used as the first step toward producing a comprehensive resource management plan for the ACEC. It captures the abundance and unique combination of resources in the region and identifies existing pollution problems and threats. As such, this resource inventory was prepared to serve as a reference for scientists, local and state officials, and citizens who are committed to protecting the ecosystem and to making the most of what the ACEC designation offers. In addition, it provides the necessary background to prioritize additional research needs and to assess existing local environmental and land use management practices and policies

Green Pond Harbor Management Plan (DRAFT)

Green Pond is one of a number of coastal ponds in Falmouth. It covers over 135 acres and is an important natural and recreational resource for the people of Falmouth and visitors. Most of the area around the pond is private residential property interspersed with a few commercial businesses and open space. As with other areas of Massachusetts, the tidelands around the pond fall within the jurisdiction of Chapter 91 (the Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act). Through Chapter 91, the Commonwealth seeks to preserve and protect the rights of the public, and to guarantee that private uses of tidelands and waterways serve a proper public purpose. In order to better protect the natural resources and to manage uses of the coastal ponds, the Town of Falmouth decided to develop harbor management plans for each of them. The Green Pond Harbor Management Plan is the first of these. The overarching goals for the Green Pond Harbor Management Plan (and future plans for the other coastal ponds in Falmouth) are to:Preserve and enhance the open space and recreational values provided by the town’s system of coastal ponds;Reduce harmful effects of uses and activities in and surrounding the coastal ponds in order to restore and preserve coastal pond ecosystems and allow for sustainable human uses; and,Improve governance and stewardship of the coastal ponds through identification of regulatory designations