Measuring the Health of the Nation’s Surface Waters

U.S. rivers and streams play a vital role in supporting healthy biological conditions, yet they face challenges from various environmental stressors. Similarly, the condition of our nation’s wetlands and coastal areas is critical to maintaining ecological balance. ERG works in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water to address these important issues.

Since 2012, ERG has supported EPA’s National Aquatic Resources Survey (NARS) in monitoring the health of our nation’s water resources. ERG provides broad-based technical support for three NARS assessments: the National Rivers and Streams Assessment, National Wetlands Condition Assessment, and National Coastal Condition Assessment. These assessments occur at randomly selected sample sites and are intended to represent the nation’s overall water conditions. The use of standardized methods allows for comparison between different years and areas of the country. This work includes coordinating complex logistics; mobilizing field teams to conduct sampling activities at hundreds of streams, wetland, and coastal locations across the United States; and coordinating with laboratories to ensure that samples are correctly processed. EPA uses the data collected to make management decisions that ensure the protection of our nation’s rivers and streams.