Water Quality: Satellite Images

EPA http://www.epa.gov/epahome/topics.html
Abstract: The above address is the homepage for the EPA. It is easiest to begin here when searching for water-related sites, since the EPA’s site is quite a maze, and it’s often true that “you can’t get there from here…” From the main homepage, click on “water.” That takes you to the Office of Water page from which you can access other areas including the Index of Watershed Indicators, Surf Your Watershed etc. These sites allow you to focus on the health of Georgia’s watersheds in terms of specific conditions and vulnerability. Information is presented in easy-to-read graphs. They also show how watershed health scores are calculated – very helpful. Other topical areas accessible from the main homepage include, drinking water, ground water, stormwater, surface water, wastewater, water pollution, water pollution control, effects, legal aspects of, and water quality monitoring. EPA’s pages provide the best overall picture of the various aspects of water quality, however you must spend considerable time searching the site for it to divulge its secrets!

United States Geological Service (USGS) http://www.usgs.gov/
Abstract: As for the EPA, it is best to begin with the USGS homepage. This site, while not quite as extensive as the EPA’s, still contains a bounty of water quality material that ranges from general to highly scientific information. The site allows users to focus on specific watersheds, rivers or counties in their home state. Streamflow conditions, annual average discharge of major Georgia streams, water use on a county-by-county basis, major land usage, phosphorus loads, data and trends are some of the specific areas covered. The site also has numerous publications (e.g., “Water Quality in the Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain…1992-1996”), color maps and 3-D graphics available on-line as downloads. You can also order anything they have as hard copy, much of which is free-of-charge. A “Water Science for Schools” section provides a template for educating students young and old about the precious nature of our water resources.

Land Margin Ecosystem Research (LMER) http://wiegert.marsci.uga.edu/
Abstract: This site presents the on-going results of a collaborative project that examines the interactions between Georgia’s coastal wetlands and rivers and their adjacent oceanic ecosystems. Cooperating partners include scientists at University of Georgia’s School of Marine Programs, Marine Institute on Sapelo Island and Insitute of Ecology, and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. This site has extensive scientific databases on Georgia rivers including information on secondary bacterial production, dissolved organic carbon, dom flourescence, microbial respiratory rates and GIS imagery. Also featured are land-use and land-cover maps of all five of Georgia’s coastal river watersheds. This site, while not for the lay reader, offers extensive scientific data that is essential for scientists looking at eocsytem interactions.

Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA EPD – a division of Georgia Department of Natural Resources) http://www.dnr.state.ga.us/dnr/environ/
The above address is for the GA EPD home page which is the best place to start your search for water resources on this labrynthine site. The site is very helpful and is organized along the following topical breakdown: Georgia’s Environment; Rules and Laws; Implementation Plans; Outreach; the Regulated Community; EPD forms; Technical Guidance; Enforcement; and News. Each topic is sub-divided into specific areas of interest and most of the general topics have at least one water-related application. For example, under the topic “Regulated Community,” you will find all pertinent state regulations that apply to wastewater, well-drilling, water withdrawal and drinking water. Another of the site’s features is River Care 2000. Compiled by over 70 specialists from various fields, this initial assessment is the first comprehensive study of the quality of Georgia’s rivers. Readers can find the text of various watershed protection plans, download GIS databases and maps, search for spills, access the state toxic release inventory and much more. However, as with other large government-run sites, you must be prepared to spend some time on this site in order to grasp all its possibilities. To the patient go the rewards!