TY - JOUR T1 - Connecting regulators with researchers JF - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation SP - 80A VL - 61 IS - 3 AU - George F. Czapar Y1 - 2006/05/01 UR - http://www.jswconline.org/content/61/3/80A.abstract N2 - “The shared goal of the Illinois plan is the development of practical and effective nutrient standards based on identified causes and thresholds of water body use impairment due to nutrient enrichment.” In 2000, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) published ambient water quality criteria recommendations for rivers and streams, and directed states to set water quality standards “to protect the physical, biological and chemical integrity of their waters. “The recommended criteria were developed for different ecoregions, and reference conditions were proposed for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chlorophyll a and turbidity. Since the reference conditions were based on the 25th percentile for all nutrient data, they did not account for local site conditions that may have significant impacts on water quality. For example, the Middle Fork of the Vermillion River is a high quality stream in Illinois, and is the only stream designated as a national wild and scenic river in the state. Although it supports a rich diversity of aquatic species, it would exceed the proposed nutrient criteria for phosphorus by 25 percent. As a result, developing water quality standards for nutrients is a challenge facing Illinois and many other states. The USEPA did allow … ER -