State of the Bay Report for Massachusetts Bays
The Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program is one of 28 National Estuary Programs (NEPs) established under Section 320 of the Clean Water Act to address problems facing valuable coastal resources in estuarine areas. NEPs combine the knowledge and talents of citizen and technical advisors, senior governmental officials and staff, and elected officials (working through a Management Conference) to develop sound scientific information about the estuary and to promote effective management solutions to identified problems. Massachusetts Bays was accepted into the National Estuary Program in 1990.