| Abstract: | Beginning in 1986, the U.S. Geological Survey began an effort to develop a National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The basic premise underlying this initiative is that a better understanding of the quality of water resources across the country, both surface- and groundwater, is needed to develop effective programs and policies to meet the nation‘s water-quality concerns. The program will focus on water-quality conditions that are prevalent or large in scale, such as occur from nonpoint sources of pollution or from a high density of point sources. The design of the program is substantially different from the traditional approach of a diffuse national monitoring network. The major activities of the assessment program will be clustered within a set of hydrologic systems (river basins and aquifer systems), referred to as study units. In aggregate, the study units will account for a large part of the nation‘s water use and represent a wide range of settings across the country. Unique attributes of the program include: (1) the use of consistent study approaches, field and laboratory methods, water-quality measurements, and ancillary data measurements for all study units; (2) the development of a progressive understanding of water-quality conditions and trends in each study unit through long-term studies that rotate periods of intensive data collection and analysis with periods during which the assessment activities are less intensive; and (3) the focus of considerable effort on synthesizing results from among the study units to provide information on regional and national water-quality issues. ?? 1991 Springer-Verlag New York Inc. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70016795 |
| Citation Author: | Alley, W. M.; Cohen, P. |
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| Citation End Page: | 22 |
| Citation Issue: | 1 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Environmental Geology and Water Sciences |
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| Citation Number Of Pages: | 6 |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | A scientifically based nationwide assessment of groundwater quality in the United States; 1991; Article; Journal; Environmental Geology and Water Sciences; Alley, W. M.; Cohen, P. |
| Citation Start Page: | 17 |
| Citation Volume: | 17 |
| Citation Year: | 1991 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | A scientifically based nationwide assessment of groundwater quality in the United States; 1991; Article; Journal; Environmental Geology and Water Sciences; Alley, W. M.; Cohen, P. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01716071 |
| Date Other: | Tue, 1 Jan 1991 00:00 -0600 |
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