The EPA, with cooperation from NOAA and several other agencies, recently initiated a long-term trends monitoring program of Gulf Coast estuaries from northern Florida through Texas. The program, known as the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program: Louisiana Province Estuaries (EMAP-E), is designed to assess the overall (province wide) ambient conditions and trends of these coastal water. The associated design can only provide rough estimates of any specific estuary. However, the results can be used to flag specific areas where further investigation may be warranted.