Opportunities to Improve the USGS NAWQA Program - A summary In
1999, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)/National Water Quality
Assessment (NAWQA) Program asked the National Academy of
Science-National Research Council's (NRC) Water Science and
Technology Board to convene a committee of experts to provide
guidance on the continued development of NAWQA. This was the
fifth time the NRC has provided such assistance since the
conception of NAWQA in 1985. The committee's task was "to
provide guidance to the U.S. Geological Survey on opportunities
to improve the NAWQA program." The statement of task also
requested an assessment of general accomplishments and
identified four specific technical areas for review. This review
came as NAWQA was completing Cycle I, its first decade of
nationwide monitoring, and refining plans for its second decade-
Cycle II. The NRC Committee assessed the past accomplishments as
background for a focused review of the evolving Cycle II plans,
to provide recommendations on "opportunities to