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Urban Coast
National Sea Grant Goals: (1) Resolve water quality, beach access, coastal land use and development, and similar coastal issues; (2) reduce contaminants, nutrients and other nonpoint- source pollution from urban watersheds; (3) enhance ports, harbors and marinas to meet growing demands for service while addressing concerns about impacts on the local community and environment, and (4) resolve conflicts over existing and proposed uses of coastal space and resources.
Economic growth since 1950 has sparked increased urbanization of coastal areas—with corresponding rises in pollution and environmental degradation. In an urban setting, a shoreline has significant appeal, as shown in the demand for recreational, business and residential developments near the water. Communities and states must balance economic and environmental values, manage the impacts of nutrient runoff and waste disposal, and consider needs for transportation, recreation and commerce—all while maintaining the integrity of coastal ecosystems that provide critical habitat and nursery areas for countless species.
Millions of Americans and Canadians depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water as well as the multibillion-dollar fisheries, shipping and tourism/recreational industries the lakes support. Wisconsin Sea Grant’s principal priorities in this theme area include identifying the mechanisms, sources and fate of bacterial and viral contamination responsible for beach closings in the Great Lakes and other coastal areas; developing tools, technologies, methods and strategies for the maintenance of Great Lakes harbor and marina infrastructure, and evaluating potential impacts of changing climate and lake levels on the vulnerability of coastal urban infrastructure.
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