Sonoma Mountain Institute

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just released their first National Rivers and Streams Assessment conducted from 2008-2009 created by the EPA and their tribal partners looking at the health of nearly 2,000 sites varying from streams and rivers nationwide. The study was conducted in an effort to monitor waterways and collect scientific data on our nations water resources.  Two summers of collecting 25,000 samples that were shipped to laboratories around the country lead to the upsetting results that at least 55% of biological communities in our rivers and streams and at least 50% of our are stream length are in poor condition.  Among many of the tests conducted were: chemical stressors, physical habitat stressors, and even levels of danger to human health.  In which, “Phosphorus is the most widespread stressor in six of the nine ecoregions, and nitrogen is the most widespread in one ecoregion… Of the four physical habitat stressors assessed in the NRSA…riparian disturbance is the most widespread stressor in two of the nine ecoregions… NRSA is able to report that over 13,000 miles of rivers have mercury levels in fish tissue that exceed human health screening values.” (91-92) The EPA is hopeful that results such as these will lead to continued watershed support and management not only in the areas that experience poor conditions but on protecting the areas that still remain in good condition as well.  For more detailed information on the results and this study please visit: www.epa.gov/aquaticsurveys or go to the pdf link: http://water.epa.gov/type/rsl/monitoring/riverssurvey/upload/NRSA0809_Report_Final_508Compliant_130228.pdf