National Capital Region Network 2009 Water Resources Monitoring Data Report

Water chemistry is important to maintaining a healthy habitat for many aquatic organisms, wildlife, and humans. Water quality can provide insights into overall system productivity, shift species abundances and distributions, and alter nutrients cycles. Water quality parameters such as pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and temperature are good measurements that provide an overview of water quality. Water quality monitoring is required to comply with relevant environmental legislation and NPS mandates and to evaluate potential stressors in NCRN waters.