EMAP - West

Hayslip, G., L. Edmond, V. Partridge, W. Nelson, H. Lee, F. Cole, J. Lamberson , and L. Caton.

2007. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, Seattle, Washington.
EPA 910-R-07-004

The Columbia River estuary is a unique and important ecological resource. EPA's National Estuary Program (NEP) was established by Congress in 1987 in Clean Water Act amendments to improve the quality of estuaries of national significance. The Columbia River estuary is one of 28 estuaries in the NEP.  The overall quality of the Columbia River estuary, which forms the border between Washington and Oregon, is described in this report using data collected as part of the Western Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). EMAP was initiated by EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) to estimate the current status and trends in the condition of nation's ecological resources. EMAP also examines associations between these indicators and natural and human-caused stressors. The coastal component of EMAP’s monitoring and assessment tools are used to create an integrated and comprehensive coastal monitoring program of coastal ecosystems. Water column measurements are combined with information about sediment characteristics and chemistry, benthic organisms, and fish to describe the current estuarine condition.