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. I Thble 2. - Examples of water-quality concerns of national alld regional interest to be addressed by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program and examples of policy questions supported by this infonnation I l\.) ~. CD "'l Water-Quality Concerns Occurrence and co~centration of pesticides in ground and surface water and their relation to human and aquatic health criteria, . Relation of the pres'ence of pesticide in ground and surface water to application rates, cropping practices and climatic, geologic, and soil factors, Relative magnitude1ofvarious point- and nonpoint-source contributions to different types of ground- and surface-water coJtamination, I I Effects of agricultural best management practices on ground- and surface-water quality, . . . . . Regional occurrence and concentration of trace elements and industrial organic compounds in ground and surface water, and . Effects of changes in municipal wastewater-treatmeut practices on water quality and ecosystem health. Policy Questions Arc national water-quality goals being met? How should resour&s be best allocated among competing water-quality interests? . I What are the key substances in water in need of regulation and for which research is needed regarding toxicity, human e,q,05ure, and drinking-water treatment? Can regulationsj1for selected constituents be determined for particular geographic regions or hydrologic seuings? What type and degrhe of water-quality protection arc appropriate to particular hydrogeologic settings? , . . . . . . The regional and Inational synthesis will be .1 ~, . conducted by several teams of 4 to 5 project members that arc selectedlspJcifically because of their knowledge of particular1water-quality conCerns. Each team will address a regibnal or national water-quality topic for a period of a1x\ut 4 years. The teams will be formed sequentially solthat multiple topics will be under investigation durihg a single year; this will also ensure a steady flow of 'synthesis results. Depending on the concern, the individuals performing the syn- thesis will be from the USGS, other government agencies, and acadelnia.l The regional and national assessments will rely in large measure, but Jot ekclusively, on the results from the NA WQA study.unil investigations. As appropri- ate, results from investigations by Federal, State, and local agencies and from other USGS programs will be integrated with the NAWQA Program results to , I address the water-quality concerns. I Regional and National Reports Work plans for regional and national aspects of the program will be prepared during the first several years of the program to identify water-quality con- Cerns to be addressed annually for FY 1991-2002. A national topical report may be prepared every year, beginning near the completion of the first set of 20 study-unit investigations in FY 1995. The topical report generally will focus on one specific water-quality issue of national and (or) regional interest. Every 3 to 5 years, a separate national synthesis report will present summaries of the status, trends, and key findings regarding water quality in each study unit and regional and national summaries of these findings. The scope of these reports will become more comprehensive as the number of com- pleted study-unit investigations increases and as information from studies conducted as part of other programs is integrated into the synthesis activities. 8 JI