Water Quality Division

The Water Quality Program at NEIWPCC is a dynamic group of science and policy experts, projects, and programs all working for clean water in New England and New York.  Clean waters are important to those who fish, swim, and recreate in the water and to animals and plants that make it their home. Overall, water quality is the chemical, physical, and biological properties of aquatic ecosystems.

Our work, centered on the Clean Water Act, involves many steps:

• goals and water quality standard setting,
• monitoring activities and data analysis, and
• recommendations for adaptive management strategy implementation.

These steps apply to many different water types, from lakes, to rivers, wetlands, and estuaries – many of which have shores and banks in more than one state. NEIWPCC’s Water Quality Program assists our member states in every aspect of this often complicated process.

Workgroups

Workgroups are our primary tool for fostering collaboration; Water Quality staff meet regularly with representatives from the New England states, New York State, EPA, and other involved organizations. Workgroup members exchange information and ideas on current Clean Water Act-related initiatives and technical projects. We have workgroups devoted to the following issues:

• Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
• Mercury
• Monitoring
• New England Biological Assessment of Wetlands Workgroup (NEBAWWG)
• Nutrient Criteria
• Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
• Water Quality Standards
• Wetlands

Place Based Programs

Programs that focus on a specific watershed, region, or state are in integral part of our work.  Staff members in the Water Quality Division support the Interstate Environmental Commission District, Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan, Long Island Sound Study, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, Peconic Estuary Program, and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management – Office of Water Resources. Our staff members in these programs work every day to support programs to evaluate, monitor, protect, and preserve the region’s water quality.

National Policy

Making sure that decision makers in Washington hear the voice of the Northeast is another task that NEIWPCC takes very seriously. By working closely with partners in our member states, the Water Quality Division staff develops comment letters and position statements that represent the states’ viewpoints on national policy and legislation. Because of our strong history of representing our states’ interests, the NEIWPCC staff is also a resource for those with questions about the states’ environmental policies and positions.

Monitoring

The program also coordinates, designs, and conducts water quality monitoring and management studies. We create technical guides and educational publications that are either specific to one of the 26 interstate basins in our jurisdiction or are focused on a particular subject area. Whatever the project or location, our role is clear-to help our member states work together to solve water quality problems.

 Additional Resources

• Guide to Hydric Soils
• Northeast Regional Floristic Quality Assessment Final Report. General background information about Regional Floristic Quality Assessments in the Northeast may be found here.
• Gauging the Health of New England’s Lakes and Ponds – A Survey Report and Decision-Making Resource. Additional information about the assessment and key components of the report may be found here.

Special Projects

• NY Tidal Wetlands
• NY & NJ Nutrient Assessment
• Cyanobacteria Workshop
• Partnerships: Long Island Sound Total Maximum Daily Load
• 303(d)–TMDL National Webinar Series

For more information, contact Richard Friesner, NEIWPCC’s director of water quality programs at rfriesner@neiwpcc.org.