Aquatic ecosystems are essential to human life. More than half the U.S. population lives near the nation's coasts and the rest of the population relies on inland water resources. Empowered by the Clean Water Act, the EPA strives to manage, protect and restore the water resources and ecosystems of the nation's marine and fresh waters. Some of the programs managed by the EPA to meet these goals include the National Estuary Program, the Coral Reef Task Force and the Water Quality Inventory.

Recommended EPA Web pages

• Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
  Features information on wetlands, oceans, coasts, estuaries, watersheds, tmdls, rivers, water quality, monitoring, polluted runoff.
• Aquatic Biodiversity
  Aquatic biodiversity encompasses freshwater ecosystems.
• National Estuary Program: Basic Information About Estuaries
  Provides information about estuaries.

Aquatic Ecosystems
Aquaculture, Coral Reefs, Estuaries, Freshwater Ecosystems, Lakes, Marine Ecosystems, Oceans, Shellfish Protection

Ecological Monitoring
Ecological Assessment, Environmental Indicators

Ecological Restoration

Landscape Ecology

Mines
Abandoned Mine

Soils
Erosion, Leaching

Species
Endangered Species, Exotic Species

Terrestrial Ecosystems
Coasts, Forests, Urban Ecosystems, Watersheds, Wetlands