Water Quality Assessment Of Wild And Scenic Rivers
Back, Jennifer 1
1 Water Resources Division, National Park Service
The creation of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System is one of the most significant river conservation achievements in the United States. Provision of good water quality is a key ecosystem service provided by many wild and scenic rivers, and protecting and enhancing water quality is a fundamental goal of all wild and scenic river agencies and partners. Despite this goal, nearly 40% of wild and scenic rivers are included on the Clean Water Act鈥檚 303d listing of impaired waters. While water quality protection is essential to a strong river conservation network, activities beyond the wild and scenic river corridor greatly influence the water quality of wild and scenic rivers. Because healthy watersheds are linked to good water quality, conservation efforts focused on working with partners to protect and restore healthy watersheds will also benefit the water quality of wild and scenic rivers. A framework for identifying threats and prioritizing conservation at the watershed scale is thus important to designing and implementing effective river stewardship strategies. This talk presents a comprehensive assessment of the water quality of wild and scenic rivers, identifies common causes of impairments within watersheds, and provides a framework for identifying opportunities to protect and enhance the water quality of our nation鈥檚 most exceptional rivers through conservation activities at the watershed scale.