# Presentation: 777523

## Summary of Biological Assessment Programs and Biocriteria Development for States, Tribes, Territories, and Interstate Commissions:  Streams and Wadeable Rivers2001 Program Update(EPA-822-R-02-048)

**Beth Jackson**
**USEPA Office of Environmental Information**
**December 9, 2002**

## Highlights

- Overview of EPA’s Bioassessment & Biocriteria Program
- Project Background & Goals
- Survey Development
- Information Collection & Assessment
- Findings

## EPA’s Biological Assessment and Criteria Program Strategy 

_**Program Mission:**_
*	**Accelerate adoption of biocriteria into water quality standards by all States/Tribes*
_**Mission: FY 2002- 2005 **_
*	**To better protect aquatic life through the integration of biologically-based assessments and standards into State and Tribal water quality programs*

## The Biological Assessment and Criteria Program

- Support successful adoption of biocriteria for streams and rivers (in WQS) by all States and Authorized Tribes
- Start to implement biocriteria for Lakes and Reservoirs
- Introduce biocriteria for Estuaries and Coastal Waters
- Make progress on biocriteria methods for other water bodies

## Background

- Launched effort to update and expand the 1996 summary document (EPA 230-R-96-007) in June 2001
- Supported by EPA’s Biocriteria Team (OW, ORD, OEI, Regional Biocriteria Coordinators)
- Expanded to include detailed information on:
- use of bioassessments within water quality programs; and
-  use for Aquatic Life Use decision-making
- Expanded coverage to include federally recognized Tribes, more US territories & Interstate Basin Commissions

## Project Goals

- Determine bioassessment capacity for
- determining ALU support,
- water quality decision-making (305(b) reporting and 303(d) listings),
- developing TMDLs
- Determine progress made in biocriteria development
-  Illustrate changes and improvements in bioassessment capabilities over the past 5 years

## Project Goals, continued

- Provide an important measure of State/Tribal program advancement and EPA’s technical transfer efforts
- Allow EPA Biocriteria Team to better focus its WQS and Criteria Strategy
- Assess technical support needs of States/Tribes

## Survey Development

- Developed 57 question survey
- Received input from OWOW, OST, OEI, EPA Regions, Midwest Biodiversity Institute, contractor
- Addressed 5 critical areas:
- 		1.  Programmatic Elements
- 		2.  Aquatic Life Use for Decision-Making
- 		3.  Field and Lab Methods
- 		4.  Data Analysis and Interpretation Procedures
- 		5.  Information Management

## Information Collection & Assessment

- Distributed over 75 surveys to States Tribes, Territories and Interstate Basin Commissions
- Conducted follow-up interviews with responding entities
- Followed extensive QA/QC to ensure accuracy and quality of responses

## Findings

- 65 entities responded
- 57 entities have bioassessment programs featured in report
- 40 entities use bioassessments to determine ALU
- ~ 475,000 river and streams miles assessed using bioassessments

**Notes:**
65 Entities:	50 States and DC
	4 Territories
	6 Tribes
	4 Interstate Commissions

57 Entities:	50 states and DC
	DRBC, ICPRB, SRBC
	Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
	Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada

## Use of Bioassessments

|  | In-place | UD | None |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Water Resource Mgmt | 57 | 2 | 6 |
| Interpret ALU attainment | 40 | 6 | 13 |
| Narrative Biocriteria in WQS | 30 | 11 | 19 |
| Narrative Biocriteria/Translator | 23 | 9 | 28 |
| Numeric Biocriteria in WQS | 4 | 9 | 47 |

**Notes:**
Uses of bioassessments for water resource management range from initial pilot studies to comprehensive assessment

Key is our focus on criterion within the standard.  Many states follow criteria that are outside of the standard

Narrative w/ translator or quantitative implementation procedures:   Many entities with narrative biocriteria in their WQS followed established quantitative procedures contained in separate documents (SOPs, QAPPs).  We wanted to count these as a mid-point between development of narrative & numeric biocriteria in wqs.

## Assemblages Used: Benthic Macroinvertebrates

- 56 in place
- 1 under development

**Assemblages Used: Benthic Macroinvertebrates**

## Assemblages Used: Fish

- 41 in place
- 16 none

**Assemblages Used: Fish**

## Assemblages Used: Periphyton

- 21 in place
- 4 under development
- 32 none

**Assemblages Used: Periphyton**

## Use of Multiple Assemblages

- 45 more than 1 assemblage

**Use of Multiple Assemblages**

## Reference Condition

|  | In-place | UD | None |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ecoregional | 40 | 3 | 11 |
| Site-specific | 19 | 1 | 36 |
| State-wide or basin-specific | 7 | 1 | 46 |

## Analysis & Assessment

|  | In-place | UD | None |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Biological Metrics | 54 | 1 | 1 |
| Multivariate | 22 | 2 | 32 |
| Multimetric index | 41 | 7 | 8 |
| Habitat Assessment | 57 | 0 | 0 |
|  |  |  |  |

**Notes:**
Most/all entities use multivariate & multimetric together when doing multivariate analyses of multiple metrics.  {Get number doing both from summary)

## Progress Made Since 1995

- 30 entities have Narrative Biocriteria (in WQS): increased by 1
- 4 entities have Numeric Biocriteria:; increased by 2
- Assemblages:
- 12 more entities using Fish
- 12 more entities using Macroinvertebrates
- 17 more using Algae
- 19 more using more than 1 assemblage