Water Quality 102: Macroinvertebrates June, 2010

The Water Quality 101 articles are a series of articles written by the Tribe’s Water Quality Manager that discuss and explain the basic water quality parameters of temperature, turbidity, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen.

The Coquille Indian Tribe monitors these parameters within all tribal water bodies to assess the quality of the waters for basic systemic functionality and health. They explain why these seemingly simple physical attributes are important within an aquatic ecosystem for maintaining life, supporting beneficial uses, and supporting an abundant aquatic community. There is also an article explaining the Clean Water Act, an important piece of legislation which supports the regulation of pollutant discharge and provides the means by which States and Tribes can protect water resources.