What relationships can be established between biological impairment and possible causes of impairment?
The project will not test causal relationships directly but will identify associations between impaired conditions and causal factors, such as acid deposition, acid mine drainage, nonpoint sources, and point sources. This information will help resource managers decide which problem is most important to address (for example, would it be most effective to mitigate acid mine drainage, to lobby for stricter regional controls on SO2 emissions, or to educate the agricultural sector to use BMPs?). It will also identify critical areas for protection and restoration efforts. • Can trends be observed in the chemistry of mid-Atlantic Highlands streams since the National Surface Water Survey in 1986? Together with the TIME and EMAP projects, the Region III R-EMAP project will provide data for assessing trends in stream acidification from deposition. The project will develop information on biological integrity and acid-base chemistry at the same sites. • How can the EMAP approach be used to help re
