BIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF THE U.S.G.S. NATIONAL WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM'S HUDSON RIVER BASIN STUDY

K. R. Murray (U.S.Geological Survey, 425 Jordan Rd., Troy NY 12180)

Effective management of our Nation's water resources is often difficult because consistent, broad-scale, long-term information regarding water quality is not always available. In response to this need, the U.S. Geological Survey began the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program in 1986. NAWQA consists of 60 study units that, together, include all or part of most major river basins and aquifer systems in the United States. The Hudson River basin is one of 20 study units in which basinwide assessment began in 1991. Biological, physical, and chemical data will be synthesized at local, regional, and national scales to provide a consistent description of water-quality patterns and trends and to help determine the influence of human-induced and natural factors on water quality. NAWQA's primary biological components are (1) ecological surveys of algal, macroinvertebrate, and fish communities and (2) analysis of macroinvertebrate and fish tissue for selected trace elements and synthetic organic compounds. Activities in progress include compilation and analysis of available data, identification of and coordination with other monitoring and research programs in the Hudson River basin, and design of sampling programs. Hydrologic, chemical, and biological sampling will be conducted during 1992 - 95. Sampling networks and the resultant data should provide a sound basis for management of water resources in the Hudson River basin and a foundation upon which additional research and monitoring efforts can build.


Abstract published in: Programs and Abstracts, NY Natural History Conference II: New York State Museum Circular 54.
US Geological Survey Back to the Hudson NAWQA Publications Page