2000 Final Pacific Coastal Barriers Report
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Report to Congress · 1tl1lC · s1m1l of ac ! H~ Coastal Barriers jn the ~1rH :cmal Cnas. a 1Ba r 1er R·eso rcas System ay 2000 - -- --- - ~ - -·.·- -· ·.. --=----- Coastal Barrier IIDproveiDent Act Report to Congress on Inclusion of Pacific Coastal Barriers in the National Coastal Barrier Resources System As required by Section 6 ofPublic Law 101-591, the Coastal Barrier Improvement Act of 1990 Prepared by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, DC 20240 May 2000 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 1990, the Coastal Barrier Improvement Act (Act), which amended the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982, authorized the Department of the Interior (Department) to study the appropriateness of implementing the Act on the Pacific coast and U.S. territories south of 49 degrees north latitude. The Coastal Barrier Resources Act created the Coastal Barrier Resources System (System), which now includes undeveloped coastal barrier units along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes coasts. Most Federal expenditures in the System are prohibited by the Act, including development assistance, flood insurance, and disaster recovery. In addition to expanding the System, the 1990 Act established Otherwise Protected Areas (OPAs), which are undeveloped coastal barriers protected by government or private interests. These areas are mapped similar to full System units, however, only Federal flood insurance is prohibited in OPAs. The intent of the Act was to reduce and eliminate Federal financial assistance for development in hazard-prone coastal barriers, thereby reducing ( 1) the potential for loss of human life, (2) the wasteful expenditure ofFederal revenues, and (3) damage to fish, wildlife, and other natural resources. The Act required that the Pacific coast study examine the degree to which inclusion of Pacific coastal barriers as full System units or OPAs would attain the intent of the Act, given: 1. The geologic differences of the Pacific coast compared to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts; and 2. The differences in extreme weather conditions along the Pacific coast compared to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The Department directed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to complete the study, map undeveloped coastal barriers on the Pacific coast, and make recommendations to Congress for protecting these areas. The Service mapped a total of 195 undeveloped coastal barriers in California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Alaska was excluded by Congress from the scope of the study. No areas were identified in any U.S. Pacific territories or possessions. The Service then examined whether inclusion of the eligible Pacific coastal barriers would meet the intent of the Act. Unlike the Atlantic coast, the geological conditions of the Pacific coast limit the creation of landforms that meet the Act's technical definition of coastal barrier. Only about 6,300 acres of privately owned lands are eligible for inclusion in the System; about 1,800 acres ofthis total are fastland, which is considered developable. Another 99,000 acres are military lands or meet the definition of OPA. The dominant coastal features along the Pacific coast are cliffs and bluffs. Although cliffs and bluffs are susceptible to a significant proportion of the Pacific Coastal Barriers Report to Congress - May 2000 ES-1 Pacific's natural hazards, they are not eligible for inclusion as full System units or OPAs based on the criteria in the Act. Pacific coastal barriers, unlike barriers on the Atlantic coast, do not bear the brunt of the region's predominant natural hazards. Hurricanes and tropical storms, the natural forces that cause devastation on the Atlantic coast, are rare along the Pacific coast. In contrast, erosion, seismic activity, and coastal riverine flooding are the primary threats to human life and property along the Pacific. Coastal barriers may be less susceptible to these natural hazards relative to other parts of the coastline. To meet the objectives of Congress along the Pacific coast, the area of focus should expand beyond the Act's current definition of coastal barrier. The designation of the identified coastal barriers alone, without a comprehensive consideration of the full range of Pacific coastal hazards, would not demonstrably reduce the potential loss ofhuman life, Federal expenditures for recovery, and damage to natural resources. Given the significant geological and climatic differences between the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and the Pacific coast, the Service does not recommend including the eligible mapped coastal barriers in the System or as .OP As. The impetus of this decision is primarily the non-tr1msferability of the current criteria established under the Act to the Pacific coast. The Service maintains that the intent of Congress under the Act to protect life, property, Federal tax dollars, and valuable fish and wildlife habitat is valid and appropriate for the Pacific coast; however, implementation of the existing law on the Pacific coast would produce limited benefits. To achieve the Act's desired effects along the Pacific coast, the legislation and defining criteria would need to be revised to address the Pacific coast's geologic, climatic, and biotic characteristics. Inclusion of the eligible coastal barriers alone will not significantly advance efforts to attain the objectives of Congress along the Pacific coast. Pacific Coastal Barriers Report to Congress - May 2000 ES-2 CONTENTS Pa2e Executive Summary ......................................................... ES-1 1.0 Purpose of the Report to Congress ........................................ 1-1 2.0 Background .......................................................... 2-1 2.1 History and Current Status of Coastal Barrier Legislation ................... 2-1 2.2 Mapping Undeveloped Coastal Barriers . 2-4 2.3 Description of Pacific Coastal Barriers ................................. 2-4 2.4 Public Involvement Process .......................................... 2-7 3.0 Factors Affecting the Need to Protect Undeveloped Pacific Coastal Barriers ...... 3-1 3.1 Existing Development and Future Trends ............................... 3-1 3.1.1 Ownership of Coastal Barrier Units ............................. 3-1 3.1.2 Land Use and Development Trends ............................. 3-1 3.1.3 Population and Demographic Trends ........................... 3-2 3.2 Existing Regulations ................................................ 3-3 3.3 Differences Between Pacific and Atlantic/Gulf Coasts . 3-4 3.3.1 Geological Hazard Differences ................................ 3-4 3.3.2 Climatic Hazard Differences .................................. 3-4 3.4 Effects oflmplementing Coastal Barrier Legislation on the Pacific Coast ...... 3-5 3.4.1 Potential for Loss ofHuman Life .............................. 3-6 3.4.2 Wasteful Expenditure of Federal Revenues ....................... 3-6 3.4.3 Damage to Fish, Wildlife, and Other Natural Resources ............ 3-7 4.0 Recommendations ..................................................... 4-1 4.1 Recommendation Regarding the Act's Implementation ..................... 4-1 4.2 Other Issues for Consideration ........................................ 4-1 5.0 Literature Cited ....................................................... 5-1 Appendices Appendix A - Lists and Maps of Study Areas Mapped Appendix B - Public Involvement Summary Appendix C - Environmental Evaluation Appendix D- Coastal Barrier Improvement Act Pacific Coastal Barriers Report to Congress - May 2000 1.0 Purpose of the Report to Congress The purpose of this report is to recommend to Congress whether or not to implement the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982 (P.L. 97-348) on the Pacific coast. The Act established the Coastal Barrier Resources System (System) on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The Coastal Barrier Improvement Act (Act) (P.L. 101-591), which amended the Coastal Barrier Resources Act in 1990, expanded the System to include coastal barriers along the Great Lakes and additional areas along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The 1990 Act also established Otherwise Protected Areas, which are undeveloped coastal barriers protected by government or private interests. Section 6 of the Act required the Department of the Interior (Department) to study the appropriateness of including undeveloped coastal barriers along the Pacific coast south of 49 degrees north latitude into the System. Congress excluded Alaska from the study. Section 6 of the Act required: • A study examining the need to protect undeveloped Pacific coastal barriers through . inclusion in the System. (Completed in 1993- Draft Pacific Coastal Barriers Study.) • Maps identifying boundaries ofundeveloped coastal barriers. (Drafted in 1993, with technical revisions completed in March 1994.) • Recommendations to Congress as to which areas, if any, would be appropriate for inclusion in the System. (Study results are presented in this 1999 Report to Congress.) The Act required the study to examine the potential for loss of human life, wasteful expenditure of Federal revenues, and damage to fish, wildlife, and other natural resources given: • The geologic differences between Pacific coastal barriers and those on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts; and • The differences in extreme weather conditions along the Pacific coast compared to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), directed by the Department, conducted a study and mapped coastal barriers that fit the criteria established under the Act on the coasts