Summary
In 1991, the U.S. Congress
established the National Water-Quality
Assessment (NAWQA) program within
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to
develop nationally consistent long-term
datasets and provide information about
the quality of the Nation’s streams and
groundwater. The USGS uses objective
and reliable data, water-quality models,
and systematic scientific studies to
assess current water-quality conditions,
to identify changes in water quality
over time, and to determine how natural
factors and human activities affect the
quality of streams and groundwater.
NAWQA is the only non-regulatory
Federal program to perform these types
of studies; participation is voluntary.
In the third decade (Cycle 3) of
the NAWQA program (2013–2023),
the USGS will evaluate the quality
and availability of groundwater
for drinking supply, improve our
understanding of where and why water
quality is degraded, and assess how
groundwater quality could respond to
changes in climate and land use. These
goals will be addressed through the
implementation of a new monitoring
component in Cycle 3: Principal Aquifer
Surveys.
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First posted April 9, 2014
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