Abstract |
The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) Management Plan, published in 2000, sets forth three goals related to estuarine water quality in the States coastal watershed, and twenty Water Quality Action Plans to implement these goals. The goals direct the NHEP to: (1) ensure that New Hampshires estuarine waters and tributaries will meet standards for pathogenic bacteria including fecal coliform, E. coli, and Enterocci; (2) ensure that New Hampshires estuarine waters, tributaries, sediments, and edible portions of fish, shellfish, other aquatic life, and wildlife will meet standards for priority contaminants such as metals, PCBs, PAHs, and oil and grease; and, (3) ensure that New Hampshires estuarine waters and tributaries will meet standards for organic and inorganic nutrients, specifically nitrogen, phosphorous, chlorophyll A (freshwater), dissolved oxygen, and biological oxygen demand (BOD). This document summarizes the NHEP Water Quality Database contents as of June 2004. Funding availability, contact information, and program objectives were compiled based on information available at this time and are subject to change. |