Contact:  Jack Barnett

Funding Organization:  US Environmental Protection Agency
Web:  http://www.bearriverinfo.org/guide/projects/research/epa.aspx

Subject:  Water quality, watershed information system, trading
Category:  Research
Data Type:  Water Quality
Start Date:  Friday, October 01, 2004
End Date:  Sunday, September 30, 2007

Abstract:  A collaborative team at Utah State University, the Utah Water Reserach Laboratory, Utah Division of Water Quality, the Bear River Comission, and others participated in nominating the Bear River as a Targeted Watershed for EPA's Targeted Watersheds Grants Program. This study, which will be funded for three years starting Fall of 2004, will implement studies in the tri-state Bear River basin to develop and demonstrate: 1) an integrated Watershed Information System to facilitate data collection, data analysis, information transfer, and public outreach; 2) a water quality trading program to allow point and nonpoint pollutant sources to trade water quality credits; and 3) dynamic water quality modeling to support water quality trading and analysis of potential water quality management scenarios. The research team believes that water quality will be improved through an integrative holistic perspective on the watershed facilitated by the integrated Watershed Information System, and that trading will promote the most economically beneficial solutions to water quality problems within the geographic constraints and physical connectivity of the river basin and stream network.