![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090511013825im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Environmental Indicators
National Information
- Indicators - Definition & Criteria
- Environmental Indicators Gateway
- EPA's Report on the Environment
- EPAStat Quarterly Reports
- Aquatic Indicators
- Biological Indicators Ecological Research
- Biological Indicators of Watershed Health
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Env'l Public Health Indicators
- Children and the Environment – Available Measures
- Indicators & Linkages for Communities
- Innovations in Program Management: Environmental Indicators and Outcome Metrics - Country Examples
- National Water Program Guidance
- Regional Vulnerability Assessment
- Risk Screening Environmental Indicators
- Sustainable Development Indicators
In this example the indicator is "Acres of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation" - the greater the number, the better the health of the ecosystem.
Other National Information 
Mid-Atlantic Information
Related Mid-Atlantic Information
- The State of the Nation's Ecosystems - Heinz Center
- Watershed Indicators - Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
- Water Quality Indicators & Trends - Delaware Center for the Inland Bays
- State of the Maryland Coastal Bays (PDF) (48pp, 12.4MB, About PDF) - see page 15
- The Reduction of Toxics in State Waters Report - Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality
On this page
What is an Indicator?
An environmental indicator measures change in environmental conditions over time. Indicators may show environmental improvement or a worsening of conditions. Ideally, an indicator can be expressed as a trend line showing change over time from a starting position (baseline) through the present to a future level representing the desired condition.
Indicators are supported by data from a wide range of sources. Various types of measures are used to capture the data. EPA has organized data and measures into six levels which correspond to the type of activity measured.
Administrative
Level 1 - resources used and activities taken by governmental agencies and environmental groups, such as permits written or grants issued; designed to result in an action by a second party that reduces or prevents pollution or exposure to pollution
Level 2 - steps taken by entities in response to Level 1 actions to reduce pollutants entering air, water, or land
Environmental
Level 3 - actual amounts of pollutants emitted by sources
Level 4 - levels of pollutants detected in local communities
Level 5 - chemical or biological changes which occur to some pollutants, for example, concentration of a toxin as it moves up the food chain
Level 6 - the true Indicator or condition we seek to attain
EPA has used the Indicator Hierarchy since 1982. It corresponds fairly closely to the categories used in Logic Models to plan activities.
Additional Information
- EPA's Report on the Environment 2008, Indicators Presenting Data for EPA Region 3 (PDF) (111 pp, 15MB, About PDF) - This report lists the most reliable indicators with data specific for EPA Region 3, those that EPA believes are of critical importance to its mission to protect human health and the environment.
- Using the Pressure-State-Response Model to Develop Indicators of Sustainability (PDF) (11 pp, 68K, About PDF)
Contact
Bill Jenkins (jenkins.bill@epa.gov)
Associate Division Director
Office of Environmental Information & Analysis (3EA10)
Environmental Assessment & Innovation Division
US EPA Region 3
1650 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
215-814-2911