Impact/Purpose:

NO DATA PROVIDED

Description:

The Index of Watershed Indicators (the IWI or Index) is the EPAs first national picture of watershed health. The Index organizes and presents aquatic resource information on a watershed basis. Watersheds are those land areas bounded by ridge lines that catch rain and snow, and drain to specific marshes, streams, rivers, lakes, or to groundwater. Watersheds are important because activities within them affect water quality.

The Index is based on the June 1996, Indicators of Water Quality in the United States, developed by EPA in partnership with States, Tribes, private organizations, and other Federal Agencies. The Indicators Report presents 18 National indicators of the health of our water resources. The Index of Watershed Indicators evaluates a similar set of indicators for each of 2,111 watersheds, or Cataloguing units in the 48 states (Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico are currently being added to the Index.)

URLs/Downloads:

HTTP://WWW.EPA.GOV/SURF/IWI

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT

Record ID: 7336

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Acronyms:

Title :INDEX OF WATERSHED INDICATORS (IWI) VERSION 1.0

Version :1

Acronym :IWI

Acronym Meaning :INDEX OF WATERSHED INDICATORS

Quality Assurance:

Title :INDEX OF WATERSHED INDICATORS (IWI) VERSION 1.0

Data Use & Constraints :THE IWI IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF HOW THE GOVERNMENT CAN PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC'S USE IN WATERSHED PROTECTION AND RESTORATION. THE INDEX NOT ONLY CATEGORIZES WATERSHEDS BASED ON THEIR OVERALL AQUATIC HEALTH, BUT ALSO PROVIDES MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON 15 SEPARATE INDICATORS AT BOTH NATIONAL AND LOCAL SCALES. INTERESTED CITIZENS CAN, FOR INSTANCE, SEE WHERE THE CONTAMINATION IS, WHAT THE MAJOR SOURCES ARE, WHETHER DISCHARGE PERMIT HOLDERS ARE IN COMPLIANCE, AND WHERE DATA IS MISSING, AND HOW ONE WATERSHED COMPARES TO OTHERS. DETAILED TEXT DESCRIBES THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DATA, AND IT CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE INTERNET.