Citation:

Impact/Purpose:

To provide a tech transfer/ methods document to States and Tribes so they can better define aquatic life uses along a biological condition gradient relative to increasing levels of stressors.

Description:

Clean Water Act Section 101(a) makes it an objective to protect and restore the biological integrity of the Nation's waters. The Act also requires States and Tribes to set designated uses for their water bodies including the protection and propagation of balanced indigenous populations of fish, shellfish and wildlife. The intent of this project is to develop methods document that will help States and Tribes use biological assessment information to better define the biological condition to which they are managing water bodies relative to increasing levels of stressors. The document describes methods that have been developed and implemented in current State water programs. A narrative model, the Biological Condition Gradient, is described that is based on current State approaches and has been developed by a workgroup of scientists from EPA, USGS, states and tribes and academia. Status: the draft document was distributed to EPA regions 9/1/05 to share with their states and tribes and to coordinate pilots with those states or tribes that choose to. The document underwent independent peer review fall 2005. Additionally, a manuscript has been accepted for publication in "Ecological Applications," likely to be published in 2006. This manuscript underwent the EPA peer review process.

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