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THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S STRESSOR IDENTIFICATION GUIDANCE: A PROCESS FOR DETERMINING THE PROBABLE CAUSES OF BIOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENTS
Citation:
Cormier, S M., S B. Norton, AND G Suter. THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S STRESSOR IDENTIFICATION GUIDANCE: A PROCESS FOR DETERMINING THE PROBABLE CAUSES OF BIOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENTS. HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT 9(6):1431-1443, (2003).
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this research project is to provide methods, tools and guidance to Regions, States and Tribes to support the TMDL program. This research will investigate new measurement methods and models to link stressors to biological responses and will use existing data and knowledge to develop strategies to determine the causes of biological impairment in rivers and streams. Research will be performed across multiple spatial scales, site, subwatershed, watershed, basin, ecoregion and regional/state.
Description:
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has ongoing programs to encourage the evaluation of stream condition based on biological indicators. Bioassessments reveal impairments but do not identify causes of impairments, a necessary step in the restoration of aquatic life. Furthermore, changes in biological conditin are often caused by multiple stressors (chemical, physical, biological). To address this need, the USEPA has developed guidance to identify probable causes of biological impairments in aquatic ecosystems and to provide a structure for organizing the scientific evidence to make a credible case. The concepts and organizational structure of the process have potential applications to most ecoepidemiological investigations.