Water Research
Watershed Protection Research
Natural water resources, including bodies of water as well as their supporting watersheds, provide critical economic and social benefits to our society. The beneficial uses of many watersheds and water bodies are currently threatened by numerous factors including high levels of nutrients and sediments, habitat alteration, introduction of invasive species, toxic pollutants and land-use changes.
The protection of water systems requires a detailed understanding of how human activities affect such systems, and how the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems changes in response to those effects.
EPA works to sustain and restore natural water resources by viewing them as complex systems. In order to help sustain our precious water resources, EPA research is underway to:
- Assess the condition of aquatic ecosystems
- Obtain a complete understanding of watershed processes
- Quantify the social, economic and environmental costs of water quality degradation
- Establish new approaches to identify, assess and prioritize contaminant risks
- Develop new approaches to minimize the impacts of these contaminants on water resources
- Consider the impacts of climate change, increased population and changing human demographics on watersheds.
Links
Sustainable Watershed Management
Biological Indicators of Watershed Health
Watersheds/Green Infrastructure
Ecological Exposure Research: Water
Sustainable Watersheds and Nutrient Pollution
Water Quality Research
Development of DNA Barcoding
Classification of Functional Process Zones in Large Rivers
Headwater Streams Studies
Source Water Protection Research
Bristol Bay Watershed Research
Watershed Models
Hydrologic Modeling for Sustainable Watershed Management
Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (PDF) (2 pp, 510KB)
Risk Management Research Watershed Topic Pages:
Watershed Management
Wetland Restoration
Riparian Zone and Stream Restoration
Nitrogen Management
In Situ Chemical Reduction
Permeable Reactive Barriers
Underground Storage Tank Research
Featured Stories:
Science Matters: Toward Sustainability: Building a Better Understanding of Ecosystem Services
Science Matters: What’s Ailing Your Stream? CADDIS Can Help You Find Out
Science Mattes: Using Biological Criteria and the Clean Water Act to Protect Coral Reefs
Science Matters: Little Streams, Big Impact
Science Matters: Streams of Science