The monitoring branch is responsible for the State's bioassessment and surface water quality monitoring programs. This branch maintains and updates the biological data in the Nevada Ecological Data Application System (NV-EDAS) and the water quality data in the national water quality data base (Water Quality Exchange Network - WQX).

Monitoring efforts result in key biological, chemical, and physical information needed for other BWQP activities, such as water body assessments, water quality standards, TMDLs, watershed plans, and planning/implementation of nonpoint source pollution management control projects.

The Bioassessment Program's goal consists of developing biological tools that can be used to evaluate the ecological condition and identify stressors in Nevada streams, rivers and lakes. The program is conducting biological, chemical, and physical habitat surveys throughout the state that include both a targeted survey design and a probabilistic approach.

Bioassessment Program website

Surface water monitoring activities are generally included in the following categories:

Focus Basin Monitoring: The state of Nevada is comprised of 14 hydrographic regions and basins for water planning and management purposes. As part of a rotational design, the BWQP identifies a subset of these hydrographic regions or basins in which water quality monitoring will occur for selected waters over a few years. Every two years or so, as deemed necessary, the focus monitoring is shifted to another region or basin. Sample collection frequency may vary from three or more times per year depending upon the waterbody and the expected uses of the data.

Long Term Monitoring: The BWQP has established monitoring sites for the purpose of evaluating water quality of key waters in the state over time. As with the Focus Basin Monitoring, sample collection frequency may vary from three or more times per year depending upon the waterbody.

Special Water Quality Monitoring: In addition to focus basin and long term trend monitoring, special sampling efforts may be undertaken to support special assessments and water quality standards reviews not part of the BWQP’s routine activities. Special monitoring projects could include water quality sampling similar to that done under the focus basin and long term trend monitoring, but could also include more intensive efforts such as water quality data sonde deployment, temperature logger deployment, benthic algae biomass sampling, etc.

Bioassessment and Water Quality Data

Bioassessment and water quality data collected by the Bureau of Water Quality Planning are available to other agencies and the public upon request, contact:
John Heggeness, Branch Supervisor
Phone: (775) 687-9449