The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its national summary of water quality, based on water monitoring findings reported by the states, territories and jurisdictions.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its biennial national summary of water quality, based on water monitoring findings reported by the states, territories and jurisdictions. The information in this report applies only to the waters that were assessed for one or more of the uses, such as swimming, fishing and fish consumption, designated for them by the states.
States assessed 19 percent of the nation's 3.7 million total river and stream miles, 43 percent of its 40.6 million acres of lakes, ponds and reservoirs and 36 percent of its 87,300 estuary square miles for this report. EPA reports that 39 percent of assessed river and stream miles, 45 percent of assessed lake acres and 51 percent of assessed estuary square miles in the nation were found to be impaired for one or more uses.