Elements of a State Water Monitoring and Assessment Program 2003
- Published:
- March 1, 2003
- Originator:
- EPA/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watershed
- EPA Number:
- EPA 841-B-03-003
States have taken very different approaches, within their resource limitations, to implement their monitoring programs. They have applied a range of monitoring and assessment approaches (e.g., water chemistry, sediment chemistry, biological monitoring) to varying degrees, both spatially and temporally, and at varying levels of sampling effort. It is not uncommon for the reported quality of a waterbody(i.e., attainment or nonattainment) to differ on either side of a State boundary. Although some differences can be attributed to differences in water quality standards, variations iin data collection, assessment methods, and relative representativeness of the available data contribute more to differences in assessment findings. These differences adversely affect the credibility of environmental management programs.