Reports on the conditions of the nation's 28 National Estuary Program (NEP) estuaries, presenting two types of monitoring data: 1. data collected as part of EPA's National Coastal Assessment (NCA), and 2. data collected by the individual NEPs or NEPs in partnership with stakeholders. Ratings in this report are based solely on NCA monitoring data for four primary indices of estuarine condition: water quality index, sediment quality index, benthic index, and fish tissue contaminants index. Overall condition ratings were provided for NEP estuaries of the Northeast Coast, the Southeast Cast, the Gulf Coast, the West Coast, Puerto Rico, and the nation. Content was provided by EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with 28 individual National Estuary Programs and local, state and federal agencies.

Applicable to watershed protection and restoration efforts in both coastal and non-coastal areas, this handbook describes 28 watershed management approaches. It features principles and lessons that examine approaches to integrating science and management, fostering collaborative decision-making, and involving the public.