The TIME (Temporally Integrated Monitoring of Ecosystems) project has been in the conceptual and design stage for approximately two years. Delays in implementation have allowed careful attention to many aspects of network design not usually covered prior to field implementation. The network was originally intended as a stand-alone monitoring program, but it has now been incorporated as part of the larger Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) being planned by Environmental Protection Agency. In the paper, the authors first discuss the stated goals of the TIME project. They then describe the previous EPA projects relating to aquatic effects of acidic deposition upon which the TIME design is based. In the third section the authors describe the conceptual model for the sampling design of the project. The last section describes the purpose and contents of the project Data Analysis Plan, which is under development.