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FOREWORD ..... The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is [0 assess the quantity and quality of the earth resources of [he Nation and to provide information that .....ill assist resource managers and policymakers at Federal. State. and loca] levels in making sound decisions. Assessment ofw3ter-quality conditions and trends is an important part of this overall mission. One of the greatest challenges faced by water-resources scienlists is acquiring reliable information that will guide the use and protection of the Nation's .....ater resources. That challenge is being addressed by Federal, State. interstate, and local w3lcHesourcc agencies and by many academic institutions. These organizations are collecting water-quality data for a host of purposes that Include: compliance with permits and water-supply standards; development of remediation plans for a specific contammation problem; operatIOnal decisions on industrial. wastewater, or water-supply facilities: and research on factors that affect water quality. An additional need for water-quality information is to proVide a basis on which regional and national-level policy decisions can be based. Wise decisions must be based on sound information. As a society we need to know whether certain types of water-quality problems are isolated or ubiquitous, whether there are Significant differences in conditions among regions, whether the conditions are changing over time. and why these conditions change from place to place and over time. The infonnation can be used to help detennine the efficacy of existing water-quality policies and to help analysts determine the need for and likely consequences of new policies. To address these needs, the Congress appropriated funds in 1986 for the USGS to begin a pilot program in seven project areas to develop and refine the National Water-Quality Assessment (NA WQA) Program. In 1991, the USGS began full implementation of the program. The NAWQA Program builds upon an existing base of water-quality studies of the USGS. as wdl as those of other Federal. State, and local agencies. The objectives of the NA WQA Program are to: .Dcscribc- current water-quality conditions for a large part of the Nation's freshwater streams. rivers, and aquifers. .Describe how water quality is changing over time. .Improve understanding of the primary natural and human factors that alTect water-quality conditions. This information will help support the development and evaluation of management, regulatory, and monitoring decisions by other Federal. State, and local agencies to protect, use. and enhance water resources. The goals oflhe NAWQA Program arc bemg achieved through ongoing and proposed investigations of60 orthe Nation's most imponam river basins and aqUifer systems, which are referred to as study units. These study units are distribuled throughout the Nation and cover a diversity of hydrogeologic settings. More than rn.o.thirds of the Nation's freshwater use occurs within the 60 study units and more than two-thirds orthe people served by public water-supply systems live Within their boundaries. National s)11thesis of data analysis, based on aggregation of comparable information obtained from the study units. is a major component of the program. This efTOr1 focuses on selected water-quality topics using nationally consistent infonnation. Comparative studies will explain dirTerences and similarities in observed water-quality conditions among study areas and will identify changes and trends and their causes. The first topics addressed by the national s)11thesis are pesticides. nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and aquatic biology. Discussions on these and other water-quality topics will be published in periodic summaries of the quality of the Nation's ground and surface water as the information becomes available. This report is an element of the comprehensive body of mformation de\-'e1oped as pan of tbe NA WQA Program. The program depends heavily on the ad\-;cc. cooperation, and information from many Federal, Slate, interstate. Tribal. and local agencies and the public. The assistance and suggestions of all are greatly appreciated. ..,. ~ .;.:.. Robert M. Hirsch Chief llydrologist '"