New Tools and Approaches Papers included in Watershed 96 proceedings reflect the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent official positions of the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA worked closely with the states in developing WBS to ensure that user needs were met. Basic Concepts and Data Elements in the Waterbody System To assemble an assessment database at the national level, EPA relies on each state to develop its own WBS data base.
States have the flexibility to define waterbodies to best serve their management needs.
Include all stream traces in a small watershed as a waterbody. Once a waterbody is delineated, WBS can manage a wide range of assessment information for that waterbody. Causes include physical, chemical, and biological stressors ranging from nutrients to toxicants to habitat modification. Sources include point source discharges and nonpoint source runoff from many urban or rural land use activities. This assessment is based on chemical monitoring for conventional pollutants and toxicants and biological monitoring for macroinvertebrates and fish.