In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project of the National Water Quality Program launched a new type of study: the Regional Stream Quality Assessments (RSQA). The goals of the RSQA are to characterize water-quality stressors—contaminants, nutrients, sediment, and habitat—and ecological conditions in streams at regional scales and to determine the effects of these stressors on aquatic organisms. The studies include intensive sampling of stressors at approximately 100 wadeable streams, toxicity testing, and ecological surveys of algae, invertebrates, and fish. Sampling is done during spring and summer targeting the period of highest agricultural and urban chemical use. Statistical analyses [...]
Summary
In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project of the National Water Quality Program launched a new type of study: the Regional Stream Quality Assessments (RSQA). The goals of the RSQA are to characterize water-quality stressors—contaminants, nutrients, sediment, and habitat—and ecological conditions in streams at regional scales and to determine the effects of these stressors on aquatic organisms. The studies include intensive sampling of stressors at approximately 100 wadeable streams, toxicity testing, and ecological surveys of algae, invertebrates, and fish. Sampling is done during spring and summer targeting the period of highest agricultural and urban chemical use. Statistical analyses and modeling of results focus on elucidating relations between multiple stressors and ecological conditions and on understanding how human activities affect the occurrence of the stressors. Findings will provide the public and policy-makers with information regarding which human and environmental factors are the most critical in affecting stream quality and, thus, provide insights about possible approaches to protect or improve the health of streams in the region.
