Surveys of Our Nation's Waters Will Document National and Regional Conditions

EPA, States, Tribes and other partners recently completed a national Wadeable Streams Survey, and will soon will embark on a Survey of the Nation's Lakes to provide regional and national estimates of the condition of our waterways. 

The Wadeable Streams Assessment (WSA) found that stream conditions vary widely across the diverse ecological regions of the country, and that streams in the West were in the best condition. Humans, the researchers found, have a significant impact on wadeable streams. A majority of streams showed evidence of human influence along the streams, such as dams, pavement and pastures. The most widespread stressors observed are nitrogen, phosphorus, and streambed sediments. Public comments will be accepted on the WSA accepted until June 30. http://www.epa.gov/owow/streamsurvey/ 

The WSA is part of a series of surveys to evaluate all of the nation’s waters. Coastal condition has already been evaluated. During the next five years, EPA will sample the condition of lakes, large rivers, and wetlands. Then the process will be repeated to provide ongoing comparisons of the state of the waters and determine possible future action. 

The Survey of the Nation's Lakes is scheduled to being during the summer of 2007 and is intended to be similar to the draft Wadeable Streams Assessment. EPA's Monitoring Branch worked together with 140 lakes experts from the North American Lake Management Society, including representatives from 45 States, to plan the Lakes Survey. The Survey will use a statistically valid approach which, like an opinion poll, randomly selects lake sites that represent the condition of all sites in regions sharing similar ecological characteristics. Survey participants will use consistent sampling and analytical procedures to ensure that the results can be compared across the country. http://www.epa.gov/owow/lakes/lakessurvey/