Water: Monitoring & Assessment
Water Quality Reports
What is the condition of our waters? EPA, states, tribes, territories, and interstate organizations regularly monitor and report on the physical, chemical, and biological condition of surface waters such as rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters. These reports may be national in scope and based on statistical survey techniques, or biennial water qualitiy assessment reports submitted by states, tribes and others and summarized by EPA for Congress.
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Probability Surveys of the Nation's Waters: EPA, states, and tribes are conducting a series of national aquatic resource surveys. The surveys are designed to yield unbiased, statistically-representative estimates of the condition of the nation's waters.
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Features
National Aquatic Resource Surveys
EPA, states, and tribes are conducting a series of national aquatic resource surveys. Find out more at our new Survey Web site.
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National Water Quality Report to Congress (305(b) report): Series of biennial national reports summarizing water quality assessments by states, territories, tribes, and jurisdictions of the U.S. This is the primary vehicle for informing Congress and the public about water quality conditions.
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Water Quality Report for Kids ("What's Up with our Nation's Waters?"): Booklet, designed primarily for middle-school-aged youth, presents key findings of the EPA's National Water Quality Report and includes projects for school or fun, a glossary and resources for more information.
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Evaluation of State and Regional Water Quality Monitoring Councils, August 2003 (PDF) (24 pp, 285K, about PDF): EPA study of the effectiveness of state and regional water quality monitoring councils in coordinating monitoring activities on a statewide or regional scale.
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Reporting Guidelines -- Various EPA guidance documents for assessing and reporting water quality.