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FOREWARD The mission of the U S Geological Survey -Describe how water quality is changing over (USGS) is to assess the quantity and quality of the time earth resources of the Nation and to provide infor- •Improve understanding of the primary natural mation that will assist resource managers and policy- and human factors that affect water-quality makers at Federal, State, and local levels in making conditions sound decisions Assessment of water-quality condi- Tins information will help support the tions and trends is an important part of this overall mission development and evaluation of management, One of the greatest challenges faced by water- regulatory, and monitoring decisions by other Federal, resources scientists is acquiring reliable information State, and local agencies to protect, use, and enhance that will guide the use and protection of the Nation's water resources water resources That challenge is being addressed by The goals of the NAWQA Program are being Federal, State, interstate, and local water-resource achieved through ongoing and proposed investigations agencies and by many academic institutions These of 60 of the Nation's most important river basins and organizations are collecting water-quality data for a aquifer systems, which are referred to as study uruts host of purposes that include compliance with permits These study units are distributed throughout the and water-supply standards, development of remedy- Nation and cover a diversity of hydrogeologic anon plans for a specific contamination problem, settings More than two-thirds of the Nation's fresh- operational decisions on industrial, wastewater, or water use occurs within the 60 study units and more water-supply facilities, and research on factors that affect water quality An additional need for water- than two-thirds of the people served by public water- quality information is to provide a basis on which �PP1Y systems live within their boundaries regional and national-level policy decisions can be National synthesis of data analysis, based on based Wise decisions must be based on sound infor- aggregation of comparable information obtained from matron As a society we need to know whether certain the study units, is a major component of the program types of water-quality problems are isolated or This effort focuses on selected water-quality topics ubiquitous,whether there are significant differences in using nationally consistent information Comparative conditions among regions, whether the conditions are studies will explain differences and similarities in changing over time, and why these conditions change observed water-quality conditions among study areas from place to place and over time The information and will identify changes and trends and their causes can be used to help determine the efficacy of existing The first topics addressed by the national synthesis are water-quality policies and to help analysts determine Pesticides, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and the need for and likely consequences of new policies aquatic biology Discussions on these and other water- To address these needs, the Congress appropriated Quality topics will be published in periodic summaries funds in 1986 for the USGS to begin a pilot program of the quality of the Nation's ground and surface water in seven project areas to develop and refine the as the information becomes available National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) This report is an element of the comprehensive Program In 1991, the USGS began full implemen- body of information developed as part of the NAWQA tanon of the program The NAWQA Program builds Program The program depends heavily on the advice, upon an existing base of water-quality studies of the cooperation, and mformation from many Federal, USGS, as well as those of other Federal, State, and State, interstate, Tribal, and local agencies and the local agencies The objectives of the NAWQA Public The assistance and suggestions of all are Program are to greatly appreciated • Describe current water-quality conditions for a large pan of the Nation's freshwater streams, nvers, and aquifers Robert M Hirsch Chief Hydrologist