The Economic Value of Estuaries Estuaries, the transition zones where rivers meet the sea, provide the focal point around which coastal communities grow. The local bay or sound nurtures a high quality of life and maintains the health and traditions of our communities. An estuary is also a tremendous economic resource which provides jobs to coastal communities. The U.S. coasts generate more than 28 million jobs.
Estuaries do far more for our economy than supporting industries and providing jobs.
For example, estuaries protect landowners from flood waters and provide important buffers that protect water quality by filtering runoff. Beyond these measurable benefits, estuaries are at the heart of so many of our coastal communities. Without healthy estuaries, ways of life that have defined our communities for generations would disappear. The value of restoring and strengthening our estuaries can, in the end, really only be measured by the value each of us place on the quality of life we pass on to our future generations. The 11 community-based organizations that comprise Restore America's Estuaries are fighting to reclaim one million acres of estuary habitat by the year 2010.