Why Care About the Health of our Waters?
More about rivers and streams:
Healthy water, clean water, looks appealing. But healthy water is necessary for more than just aesthetics and recreation. As people, we need healthy water for:
- Drinking
- Fishing (and catching fish that are healthy to eat)
- Swimming
- Agriculture
- Industrial and community uses
- Aesthetic enjoyment
Though different varieties of animals and plants need different types of water environments, they all need healthy water for:
- Food sources
- Hiding places from predators
- Sufficient oxygen
- Spawning
Learn more about all of the uses of water from the U.S. Geological Survey.
One approach to evaluating the health of rivers, streams, and lakes is to look at how well water meets certain uses. This process has several key steps:
- Establish standards for basic types of water use
- Consider which basic use a particular body of water can reasonably serve; that use is called its designated use
- Assess the extent to which that water is healthy enough to help fill that use
- Strive to improve water quality so that each river, stream, or lake can fulfill its designated use
Designated Uses and Water Quality Standards
To ensure that waters will be clean enough for all of the uses that people enjoy and require, all waters are "designated" for certain uses and are provided protection under state laws. These "designated uses" are part of each states water quality standards and ensure that these waters will be healthy, and healthful, for the public.
Some beneficial "use" categories in state Water Quality Standards (WQS - link to EPA's Office of Water) include:
- aquatic life (ecological uses)
- water supply (public, agriculture, industry)
- recreational uses (swimming, boating, etc.)
- nuisance prevention
Learn more about aquatic life designated uses and biological criteria from EPA's Office of Water.