EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment: Water Quality Condition Trends 2008-2019

The U.S. EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment data shows the percentage of river and stream miles in good condition for indicators like nitrogen, phosphorus, and biological health. It compares results from the 2008-09 and 2018-19 survey periods, with condition determined using regional and national benchmarks. The data was extracted from the EPA's public dashboard and is maintained by the agency's National Aquatic Resource Surveys program.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in river and stream health based on the comparison between 2008-09 and 2018 19 surveys.
• Assess regional water quality benchmarks for indicators like nitrogen and phosphorus mentioned in the description.
• Model the statistical confidence of environmental condition estimates based on the reported 95% confidence intervals.
• Evaluate human health risk indicators based on criteria for microcystins, cylindrospermopsin, and enterococci.

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Provides a direct comparison of water quality condition across two survey periods (2008-09 to 2018-19).
• Condition indicators are assessed against specific regional and national benchmarks as described.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Collection Method

Exported from the public National Rivers and Streams Assessment Dashboard.

Time Range

2008-09 to 2018-19

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-21 16:19:52; freshness should be verified.

Geography

National coverage of U.S. rivers and streams.