Philadelphia Water Department's ``Comprehensive Watershed Assessment Program'': The Importance of Watershed-Based Monitoring

Comprehensive assessment of our waterways is integral to planning for the long-term health and sustainability of our water systems. The Philadelphia Water Department considers such assessments as essential to raising awareness in Southeastern Pennsylvania as to the impact that land development activities are having on waterbody health. By measuring all factors that contribute to supporting fishable, swimmable, and drinkable water uses, appropriate management strategies can be developed for each watershed land area that Philadelphia shares. Specifically, biological monitoring is a useful means of detecting impacts to the aquatic ecosystems necessary for sustainable fisheries and other designated uses. Biological communities respond to wide variety of chemical, physical and biological factors in the environment and can reveal natural and anthropogenic stressors. In this respect, resident biota in a water body act as natural monitors of environmental quality and can reveal the effects of episodic and cumulative pollution and habitat alteration.