Project Number: 6408-13660-006-04
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Apr 25, 2002
End Date: Feb 28, 2007

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research project is to refine watershed assessment tools based on microbial indicators, water quality database and physcial, chemical, and biological integrity, and development of threshold concentrations for sediment effects on aquatic organisms.

Approach:
A multi-basin wide study comparing biological communities, water quality measures and various physcial habitat measurements & evaluation techniques through the Loess Plains and Mississippi Alluvial Plain ecoregion will be conducted. Data will be analyzed to determine relationships between manageable watershed elements, stream water quality and ecological integrity for the development of scientifically based Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL).