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EPA Region VII Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program Project (REMAP)

• Timeframe: 1994 - present
• Location: US EPA Region VII
• Point-of-Contact: Debbie Baker

The EPA’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program is a comprehensive methodology developed in the early 1990s to facilitate unbiased, reliable, repeatable monitoring of the condition of various natural resources.

Resource management agencies have always focused some deliberate monitoring efforts on particular sites judged to be “problem” or “pristine.” However, there is also an urgent need for baseline data to measure the general condition of a given type of resource, for example to answer questions such as “what is the overall condition of streams in our area?” or “has the overall condition changed in the last ten years?” In this case, it is impossible to sample every single stream, so it is necessary to use a representative sample. But how can we choose that sample in an unbiased manner?

At the heart of the EMAP methodology is a site selection algorithm that uses mapping technology to measure the known extent (population size) of the natural resource, and then generate from it a spatially balanced, truly random sample of sites to represent that population with known statistical accuracy. In addition to a site selection methodology, the EMAP development team has assembled an impressive array of field methodologies to be used in collecting different types of data. These methodologies, too, are designed to generate objective measurements with high repeatability. Across the country, scientists are using a variety of EMAP methodologies to assess the status of land, air, and water resources.

In USEPA Region 7, our Regional EMAP implementation (REMAP) is in streams, with a focus on understanding of how stream condition relates to the health of fish communities. In addition to fish diversity data, REMAP stream sampling teams collect data on water chemistry, fish tissue chemistry, sediment chemistry, and various aspects of the stream’s physical habitat. “Physical habitat” includes a broad range of variables, such as riparian vegetation, woody debris in the channel, type of substrate in the streambed, and sinuosity of the channel. In some cases, other types of samples or data are also collected (e.g., macroinvertebrates).

These data are then assembled, analyzed, and used to answer questions about the status of stream resources in Region 7. State agencies have done most of the field data collection for this project, although CPCB has assisted with some. CPCB’s current role in the REMAP process is to provide technical assistance with the data analysis and reporting process. We work directly with the Regional EPA Headquarters and with the state agencies of Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. Our goal is to help to integrate the EMAP approach into their already-strong aquatic resource monitoring programs.

Data

Not available at this time. For further information, please contact Debbie Baker .

Analysis, Results, or Reports

Not available at this time. For further information, please contact Debbie Baker .

Maps, Images, or Photos

	Location of the stream sites sampled during the 1994/1995 REMAP program. Click on the thumbnail to view the map and accompanying legend.
	Measuring stream velocity at a transect along Chequest Creek, Van Buren Co. IA.
	Example of a cumulative distribution function (CDF) - mean bankfull height of Nebraska streams.