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INTEGRATED STATE-FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP FOR AQUATIC RESOURCE MONITORING
Citation:
Olsen, A R. INTEGRATED STATE-FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP FOR AQUATIC RESOURCE MONITORING. Presented at Monitoring Science and Technology Symposium, Denver, Colorado, Sept. 21-14, 2004.
Description:
Fifteen federal agencies, 50 states, cities, counties, and 800-1000 volunteer organizations conduct aquatic resource monitoring in the United States. Most aquatic monitoring is project-specific focusing on individual locations or watersheds. The Clean Water Act requires states to monitor the quality of their waters and report the results to US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). USEPA has responsibility for a national report on water quality (305(b) report). The US Geological Survey has two primary national water quality monitoring programs: the National Water Quality Assessment Program and the National Stream Quality Assessment Program. The U.S. General Accounting Office recently recommended that better data coordination is necessary to support key water quality and water quantity decisions. While better data coordination is necessary, it is not sufficient. An integrated state-federal partnership for aquatic resource monitoring is required to elevate aquatic monitoring programs to a level equal to that of federal statistical programs in economics, health, transportation, energy, and population. Potential approaches for an integrated state-federal partnership are described.