Coastal Plains Ecoregion - National Rivers and Streams Assessment Results
NRSA 2018-19 Ecoregional Results
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Key Results
An estimated 305,153 stream miles in the Coastal Plains ecoregion are represented in the National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA).
- In the Coastal Plains region, biological condition was good in 9% of stream miles based on macroinvertebrates.
- The most widespread stressors assessed in the Coastal Plains ecoregion were phosphorus with 36% of river and stream miles in poor condition, nitrogen with 30% of miles in poor condition, and riparian vegetation cover with 28% of miles in poor condition.
- Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms that occur at low levels. Under the right conditions (elevated nutrients and increasing temperature), cyanobacteria can grow at elevated rates producing blooms. Not all cyanobacterial blooms are toxic, but some may release toxins, such as microcystins. For information about risks at specific locations, recreational water users should check with state, tribal or local governments.
- Microcystins detections occurred in 11% of river and stream miles in the Coastal Plains however, zero miles were above EPA’s recommended criteria.
Change from 2013-14*
- The percent of river and stream miles in good condition for riparian disturbance increased by 15 percentage points between 2013-14 and 2018-19 in the Coastal Plains ecoregion.
- The percent of river and stream miles with microcystin detections decreased by 17 percentage points.
To access more ecoregional specific information, please visit the interactive NRSA Dashboard
* The change analysis is based on information from two points in time – 2013-14 and 2018-19.
