HR: 13:45h
AN: NB13D-02 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: The Role of Reference Condition in Biological Assessment and Criteria: An EPA Guidance Document
AU: * Southerland, M T
EM: southerlandmar@versar.com
AF: Versar, Inc., 9200 Rumsey Road, Columbia, MD 21045-1934 United States
AU: Larsen, D P
EM: Larsen.Phil@epamail.epa.gov
AF: Western Ecology Division, National Health and Ecological Effects Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333 United States
AU: Davis, W S
EM: Davis.Wayne@epamail.epa.gov
AF: Office of Environmental Information, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 701 Mapes Road, Fort Meade, MD 20755-5350 United States
AB: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing a document to provide States, Tribes, and other practitioners with guidelines on the reference condition concept and how to apply it in their water management programs, particularly for assessing the condition of aquatic resources. These guidelines are intended to broaden the implementation of biological monitoring and assessment, to increase the consistency among States and Tribes, and to improve the success of individual programs. Establishing and using the reference condition concept appropriately is critical to implementing biocriteria and tiered aquatic life uses to protect and restore water resource quality. This document will cover the following topics: a description of the concept of reference condition and related concepts (including minimally disturbed, least disturbed, and attainable conditions); methods for characterizing reference and related conditions; the role of water body classification to partition natural variability; setting thresholds to determine achievement of a target condition; and application of the concept in heavily modified regions (e.g., urban landscapes; agricultural regions) and waterbodies (reservoirs, regulated rivers). A section on frequently asked questions and answers is included. Throughout the document, examples are drawn from existing State and Tribal programs to illustrate specific applications that are consistent with the guidelines.
DE: 9810 New fields (not classifiable under other headings)
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly