During the summer of 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states, tribes and other partners will conduct the second nationwide survey of the condition of the nation’s lakes. The National Lakes Assessment (NLA) will help citizens and governments measure the health of our waters, take actions to prevent pollution, and evaluate the effectiveness of protection and restoration efforts. The NLA 2012 is one in a series of national surveys of the condition of the nation’s waters (see www.epa.gov/aquaticsurveys). Designed to estimate the percentage of lakes that are in good, fair, or poor condition, the survey will serve as a scientific report card on America’s lakes. It will examine ecological, water quality, and recreational indicators, and assess how widespread key stressors (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and acidification) are across the country. The survey is a collaborative effort that involves dozens of state environmental and natural resource agencies, federal agencies, universities and other organizations. In most states, state water quality staff will conduct the water quality sampling and habitat assessments.

Lakes assessment Silver Lake 67400