Agenda - 10-19-1993 - IV-B - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine Study,or APES for short,is an$11 million cooperative effort sponsored by the N.C.Department of Envr- ronment,Health and Natural Resources and the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency.It is one of 22 estuary projects nationwide. Four committees consisting of 95 individuals have guided its work. ^�These committees are known as the • APES Management Conference. Conference members represent nearly every group with an interest in the region:farmers,foresters,fishermen, environmentalists,devel- opers, business and industry leaders, university researchers, govern- ment agencies and local elected officials. Their goals were to identify problems in the estuarine system,gener- ate research where gaps in knowledge existed,increase public aware- ness of environmental issues and find solutions to address those issues. The culmination of this six-year collaboration is the Comprehensive Conservation and Management • Plan (CCMP). A As a result of these efforts,more is kno wn about the Albemarle-Pam- .var•EPA lico estuary than ever before. Be- cause of APES research, scientists now are aware of a"phantom algae" that has been responsible for at least 25 percent of the fish kills in the Pamlico and Neuse rivers over the past = two years.Life-supporting sea grasses have been identified and mapped so that these important i m ortant habitats can be protected.And a new comput- erized mapping system has been developed to help local governments quickly assess the environmental impact of proposed projects. The APES program has helped open historic spawning areas for shad and herring that had been blocked by dams and roads, and has replenished scallop beds that were decimated by the 1987 Red Tide. APES projects have demonstrated new methods thatprotect marshes, °" aquatic habitats and private property from erosion;control systems that protect rivers and streams from stormwater runoff; composting tech- niques that turn waste from agriculture and crab processing into fertile soil; and new fish- ing gear that reduces the unintended capture of non-targeted species. AT7A At the same time, public involvement in coastal issues has increased as a result of the interest generated by APES projects. Govern- ment agencies and private industries have got- FIN" Fl ten involved in protecting the estuary as well. Several industries in the region — Weyer- haeuser,Texas gulf and Union Camp—have installed multi-million- dollar wastewater treatment plants that substantially decrease the amount of pollution they put into the system. Polluters that violate environmental standards are being detected and dealt with swiftly. 4