&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Research
and Development
Washington, D.C. 20460
EPA/620/N-93/002
July 1993
The Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment Program
EMAP was initiated by EPA's Office of Research and
Development, in conjunction with other Federal agen-
cies, to assessthe status and trends of the Nation's ecologi-
cal resources. The program was designed in 1988 in
response to EPA's Science Advisory Board recommenda-
tion for increased research, monitoring, and assessment of
our Nation's natural resources. The program was initiated
in 1990 and is presently conducting pilot and demonstra-
tion projects in seven resource categories (Agroecosystems,
Arid Ecosystems, Estuaries, Forests, Great Lakes, Surface
Waters, and Wetlands) across the Nation. In addition,
EMAP also has an integrated landscape ecology compo-
nent. •.;-;...••.
EMAP will provide decision makers with assessments
of ecological status and trendsjnfqrrnatiqn atthe regional
and national levels. The national EMAP design is flexible
The Regional
Environmental
Monitoring and
Assessment Program (R-EMAP) is a component
of EPA's Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment Program (EMAP), an interagency
program that documents the status and trends
in the condition of the Nation's ecological
resources. R-EMAP is a partnership of EMAP,
EPA Regional Offices, other Federal agencies,
and the States to assess ecological issues on the
State and local scale. This fact sheet provides an
overview of R-EMAP and the objectives of
R-EMAP projects selected to date.
and can be enhanced to make assessments at the subre-
gional level, for example, State and smaller scales. Be-
cause of this adaptability, EMAP's approach is increas-
ingly being used by the EPA Regional Offices and States
to assess ecological resources in high interest areas within
the regions.
The Regional Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment Program
R-EMAP is coordinated through EPA Regional Offices,
other Federal agencies, and States. The objectives of
R-EMAP are to:
• Evaluate and improve EMAP concepts for
state and local use;
• Assess the applicability of EMAP indicators
at differing scales; and
• Demonstrate the utility of EMAP.for resolv-
ing issues of importance to EPA Regions and
States.
R-EMAP proposals are submitted to EMAP by the EPA
Regional Offices for, studies on small geographic scales
and timeframes. All proposals undergo a competitive
peer-review process, before being approved for funding.
Listed below are the primary objectives of the projects that
have been selected for funding.
* U.SG.P,O.:1993-752-972
Printed on Recycled Paper
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Region I
Fish Tissue Contamination in the State of Maine
Quantify the current status of metal contamina-
tion in fish in high value lakes of the state, the number of
lakes at risk, and attempt to derive associations between
contamination and potential stressors.
Region II
Sediment Quality of the N Y-NJ Harbor and the
Regional Validation of Indicators of Sediment
Quality
Characterize the quality of the benthic environ-
ment in the six major sub-basins of the harbor system;
derive associations between sediment contamination and
benthic condition; and develop an index of environmen-
tal quality for the harbor system.
Region III
Surface Water Quality Indicators
Assess the relationship between water quality
and biological condition of streams in the central Appa-
lachian Ridge and Valley Ecoregion.
Region VI
Toxics Characterization of Selected Texas
Estuaries
Measure fish and benthic invertebrate condition
and determine the relationship between biological deg-
radation and the extent of sediment contamination in
Galveston Bay and other major tributaries of the south
Texas Gulf Coast.
Region VII
Estimating the Status of the Health of Fisheries in EPA
Region VII
Measure the fishery quality in the Region and
determine the relationship between the quality of the
fishery and habitat and physical/chemical water quality
data.
Region IX
Assessment of Aquatic and Riparian Ecosystems in a
Highly Modified, Agriculturally-Influenced Environ-
ment (California's Central Valley)
Evaluate the current condition of aquatic biota
(fish and macro-invertebrates) in California's Central Val-
ley as measured by physical, chemical, and biological
parameters and develop biotic integrity indices from
observed community assemblages for future use as envi-
ronmental indicators.
Region X ;
Biological Assessment of Wadable Streams in the
Coast Range Ecoregion and the Yakima River
Basin
Determine the condition of the first through third
order streams in the Coast Range Ecoregion and the
Yakima River Basin and determine the relationship be-
tween the condition of the biota in these streams and the
surrounding land uses. ;
Regions IV, V, and VIII
Projects for these Regions are currently in the
planning stages for implementation.
Additional information can be obtained
by writing to:
Rick A. Linthurst, Ph.D. :
Atmospheric Research and Exposure
Assessment Laboratory (MD-75)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
|
Tom Pheiffer or Maggie Thielen
Office of Regional Operations (H1503)
401 M Street, S.W. j
Washington, DC 20460
j
or:
The Environmental Services Division
Directors of each EPA Regional'Off ice
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