Return to Research, Monitoring and Assessment

Scientists at NOAA, and other agencies, such as the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, sample sediments through various long-term monitoring programs. One program, the USGS National Water Quality Assessment program, has been collecting and analyzing river sediment data across the country since 1991.  Scientists test for nutrients and pesticides that are used in nearby agricultural, urban and suburban areas.

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