Ozark Plateaus Study Unit
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The Ozark Plateaus NAWQA is one of more than 50 study units that are part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The
long-term goals of this program are to describe the status and trends in the quality of a large, representative part of the Nation's surface- and ground-water resources, and to provide a sound, scientific understanding of the primary factors affecting the quality of these resources. The program will evaluate water quality at a wide range of spatial scales, from local to national, and will employ a multidisciplinary approach using physical, chemical and biological measurements to provide multiple lines of evidence with which to evaluate water quality.
The initial, high intensity phase of the Ozark Plateaus NAWQA began in 1991 and continued through 1995. During the high intensity phase, study unit personnel collected ground-water, surface-water, and biological samples from throughout the study unit. Results of this first cycle of studies were summarized in a report and a fact sheet. In 1996, the study unit entered a low intensity phase. Beginning in 2006, additional studies in the Ozark Plateaus will be conducted on effects of nutrient enrichment on stream ecosystems.
The Ozark Plateaus study unit is approximately 48,000 square miles in size and includes parts of northern Arkansas, southeastern Kansas, southern Missouri, and northeastern Oklahoma. The boundaries of the study unit approximate the natural flow boundaries of the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system.
For additional information contact:
Jim Petersen
Ozark Plateaus Study Unit Chief
401 Hardin Road
Little Rock, Arkansas 72211
(501)228-3620
petersen@usgs.gov