Conservation Training

The National Lakes Assessment: A Collaborative Survey of Lakes in the US

October 22, 2024

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Location: Webinar

National Lakes Assessment (NLA) is conducted in collaboration with states, tribes, other federal agencies, and partners every five years as a component of the US EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS). These statistical surveys sample and estimate the condition of the Nation’s different water body types on a rotating basis. The NLA reports on the condition of our nation's lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. To be included in the survey, the water body has to be >1 hectare, > 1 meter deep, and > 0.1 hectare of open water. In 2022, 80 field crews collected chemical, physical, and biological data from 981 lakes for the fourth lakes survey. The 2022 survey also included the resampling of 153 lakes that were originally sampled in the 1970s as part of the National Eutrophication Study and a U.S. Forest Service intensification that increased the number of lakes sampled in the Northern Lakes and Forest Ecoregion. This webinar will provide an overview of NLA, results from the fourth field season, and NARS/NLA data tools.

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