| MMS ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM: ONGOING
STUDIES |
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| MMS OCS Region: |
Pacific |
| Title: |
Southern California Coastal Recreation Inventory
and Valuation (PC-99-01) |
| Actual Costs: |
$100,000 |
Period of Performance: |
FY 2000 - 2005 |
| Conducting Organization: |
University of California, Berkley-Berkeley,
CA (Contact: Michael Hanneman) |
| MMS Contact: |
Dr. Fred Piltz |
| Description: |
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| Background |
Potential effects to coastal recreation from
energy development in the OCS and state waters may occur in three ways.
 | short-term effects from offshore development activity such as beach or
campground closures due to offshore to onshore pipeline construction. |
| long-term effects from the presence of offshore infrastructure such as
processing facilities and offshore oil platforms which may change use patterns. |
| short and long term effects of an oil spill which may change use
patterns. |
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| Yet, offshore energy operations are not the
only factors that potentially affect coastal recreation. For example, the
changing physical characteristics of the beach through beach erosion, water
quality degradation from non-point sources and changing consumer preferences
may also lead to short-term and long-term changes in use patterns. Whatever
the cause, changes in coastal tourism and recreation patterns may have very
pronounced and localized effects on communities. |
| Currently, the State of California is
developing a general model for valuing beach recreation based on a study of
Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California (hereafter referred to as the
LAOC study). That effort is accomplished through a cooperative agreement
between a number of state and federal agencies. The culmination of the LAOC
study is a system for the use by State Water Resources Control Board staff
and other state agencies to estimate the public value of any beach in the
region using attributes of that particular beach. |
| Objectives |
| To enhance the state’s system by extending it
to the Tri-counties (Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo),
replicating the methodology, to the extent possible, used in LAOC study. The
study is designed to create a computer program that estimates the value of
beach recreation for a given location and how this value may be affected by
characteristics of the location. These characteristics encompass a number of
factors such as recreational opportunities (water-dependant and
water-enhanced) at the site, the amenities (parking, concessions, lifeguard
services), physical characteristics of the site (water quality, proximity to
industrial facilities, beach erosion), distance from the urban areas, and
other factors. This value can then be used to accurately estimate the
potential impacts when a site is affected by a number of sources, including
those from offshore oil and gas activities |
| Methods |
| A benefits transfer analyses will be performed
to extend the data and models developed for Orange and Los Angeles Counties
to the Tri-county area. |
| Importance to MMS |
| The topic was identified in the National
Research Council’s "Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf
Environmental Studies Program" (1992). In the next few years, the region
will require this information to support a number of decisions. The proposed
study is a regional level analysis baseline study which provides the very
detailed information needed for future development and production decisions.
Also, the resource-use and mitigation aspects of the study provide the
highly detailed information needed for the entire range of OCS decisions.
(See Table I--Social Science Data Needs for OCS Decision Points in the Final
Draft of "Applied Social Science in: A Framework for Decisionmaking.")
Moreover, the study will suggest mitigation measures which can be applied
throughout the entire range of OCS decision making. The methodology analysis
will ensure that the MMS uses the most valid and reliable method for a given
set of circumstances. |
| Current Status: |
| This study is completed with the
exception of a final synthesis report. The results are posted on the
following web site and are broadly available.
http://marineeconomics.noaa.gov/SCBeach/laobeach1.html#reports |
| Final Report Due: |
11/30/2006 |
| Publications: |
None at this time. |
| Affiliated WWW Sites: |
Social Science in MMS information page. |
| Revised date: |
November 30, 2006 |
| ESPIS |
ESPIS - All completed
ESP Studies:
Full Text, Online, Right Now!
Environmental Studies
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