Measuring Ecological Health - Slide 7

ORD’s Approach

Near-term focus on aquatic communities
- Strong regulatory basis
- Strong watershed/water quality linkages
Collaborate with States on core set of ecological indicators and on design
Hold training workshops on field methods
Work through Regional Coordinators on a State-by-State basis to implement
Enhance States’ monitoring flexibility by using sole-source cooperative agreements to expand State programs to try new methods
New methods will save states 25-35% and achieve 100% 305(b) assessment coverage
All data incorporated into STORET