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2014 Autumn | Agriculture and Food Systems, Climate Change, Education & Outreach

The Beneficial Attributes of a Water Quality Index

Student(s):

Ciera Mead

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Steve Britsch

Partner(s):

  • Snohomish County Surface Water Management

Faculty advisor(s):

Susan Bolton School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

My project pinpointed the beneficial of a water quality index for reporting. As an intern for Snohomish County’s Surface Water Management, I generated water quality index scores using historic monitoring data. These scores supported a summary report on the status of local waters. Additionally, I conducted a literature review of five existing water quality indices. My conclusions and final analysis paper show indices to be ideal reporting tools for increasing accessibility and encouraging stewardship due to their simplicity, comparability, and adaptability. This is significant for bridging the gap in communication between water managers and the public to create healthier communities.