Collection and analysis of aquatic organisms for the assessment of water quality is performed by the following programs:
Probabilistic Monitoring
Using macroinvertebrates, streams are assessed randomly within each basin to project the use support of the watershed.
Reference Reach
The Reference Reach Program collects and summarizes data from least-disturbed streams using a regional framework in order to develop appropriate criteria for bioassessment interpretation.
Watershed Biological Monitoring
This program collects and analyzes aquatic life for the assessment of water quality using fixed and variable sites within the watershed framework.
These biological sampling programs are driven by different objectives but use the same sampling techniques. Select one of the program links to the left to learn more. Go to the Standard Operating Procedures page for methodology details.
