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National Aquatic Resource Surveys

EPA, states, and tribes are conducting a series of surveys of the nation's aquatic resources. Often referred to as probability-based surveys, these studies provide nationally consistent and scientifically-defensible assessments of our nation's waters and can be used to track changes in condition over time.

National Aquatic Resource Surveys 

• Coastal Conditions Report III
• National Lakes Assessment
• Wadeable Stream Assessment

State-EPA Nutrient Innovations Task Group Report (August 2009)

An Urgent Call to Action: Report of the State - EPA Nutrient Innovations Task Group is a joint State-EPA review of both existing and innovative approaches to nutrient management. In 2008, State and EPA surface water and drinking water program managers agreed to form an ad hoc Nutrient Innovations Task Group to identify and frame key nutrient issues, questions, and options on how to improve and accelerate nutrient pollution prevention and reduction at the state and national level. In this report, the task group presents a summary of scientific evidence and analysis that characterizes the scope and major sources of nutrient impacts nationally and describes the current tools and authorities used to control nutrient pollution sources. The task group concludes with findings and suggests next steps needed to better address nutrient pollution.

Urgent Call to Action: Report of the State - EPA Nutrient Innovations Task Group

Reactive Nitrogen in the United States: An Analysis of Inputs, Flows, Consequences, and Management Options - A Report of the EPA Science Advisory Board

The Science Advisory Board Integrated Nitrogen Committee conducted a study on the sources and fate of reactive nitrogen with the purpose of addressing the overarching question of how can we protect and sustain ecosystem services, while also assuring that societal needs for food and energy are met. This Report of the EPA Science Advisory Board calls for a comprehensive an integrated approach to manage reactive nitrogen, mitigate its damage, and restore ecosystems. This report also contains recommendations on the following areas: establishing the links among source and fate of reactive nitrogen, environmental and public health problems; identify actions to support an integrated nitrogen management strategy and to reduce reactive nitrogen losses by 25 percent; and make recommendations on the research necessary to support reduction activities.

Report of the EPA Science Advisory Board (PDF) (172 pp, 4.5 MB, About PDF)

Nutrients in Estuaries - A Summary Report of the National Estuarine Experts Workgroup (November 2010)

Nutrient criteria are benchmarks that help to establish the level of nutrient pollution below which waterbodies can maintain their designated uses—primarily aquatic life and recreation. Estuaries are very complicated bodies of water, and the task of setting nutrient criteria for them, in turn, is complex. The November 2010 Nutrients in Estuaries report describes some of the current science in estuarine nutrient criteria development. It does not set criteria, nor does it recommend a single methodology for doing so. Criteria can vary from site to site and from estuary type to estuary type, and the methods for setting criteria can vary depending on both the estuary type and availability of data.

November 2010 Nutrients in Estuaries Report

Clean Air Interstate Rule, Acid Rain Program, and the former Nitrogen Oxide Budget Training Program Progress Reports

Find current and historical EPA reports covering progress under air market programs including the Clean Air Interstate Rule, the Acid Rain Program, and the former Nitrogen Oxide Budget Program. These reports evaluate progress under these programs by analyzing emission reductions, reviewing compliance results and market activity, and comparing changes in emissions to changes in a variety of human health and environmental indicators.

Clean Air Interstate Rule, the Acid Rain Program, and the Former Nitrogen Oxide Budget Program Progress Reports 

Additional Publications

• Nutrient Control Design Manual
• Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur Ecological Criteria
• Report on the Environment – Nitrogen Oxides Emissions
•  Ecosystem services altered by human changes in the nitrogen cycle: a new perspective for U.S. decision making
• Riparian Buffer Width, Vegetative Cover, and Nitrogen Removal Effectiveness: A Review of Current Science and Regulations
• Fate and Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Shallow Vegetated Aquatic Ecosystems
• An Approach for Developing Nutrient Criteria for a Gulf Coast Estuary, EPA Report 600/R-08/004, January 2008
• Ecological Condition of Coastal Ocean and Estuarine Waters of the U.S. South Atlantic Bight: 2000-2004, EPA Report 600/R-10/046, May 2010 
• An Approach to Developing Nutrient Criteria for Pacific Northwest Estuaries: A Case Study of Yaquina Estuary, Oregon (PDF)(183 pp, 12.5 MB, About PDF)
• Classification of Regional Patterns of Environmental Drivers And Benthic Habitats in Pacific Northwest Estuaries (PDF) (317 pp, 5.6 MB, About PDF)
• Stony Coral Rapid Bioassessment Protocol, EPA Report 600/R-06/167, July 2007 (PDF) (72 pp, 4 MB, About PDF)
• Environmental Conditions in Northern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Waters Following Hurricane Katrina (PDF)(68 pp, yy 1.5 MB, About PDF)