Since 1998, the New England Coastal Basins (NECB) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program has been monitoring surface and ground waters in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Focus issues for the study include determining how new and increasing urbanization influences water quality and stream health, the range and distribution of mercury in streams, how water quality varies from small streams to large rivers, variations in the water quality of important ground-water aquifers, and the variability of arsenic in different ground-water systems. Some details of these monitoring activities are described in the following sections. The information collected as part of the NECB NAWQA study will not only be used to characterize waters of eastern New England, but also will help in preparing assessments of the Nation's water resources.

--Keith Robinson (603) 226-7809 or kwrobins@usgs.gov

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