Status and Application of Biocriteria, 1998 Environmental Conference Proceedings

USEPA has issued technical and program implementation guidance for the development of biobacteria. A number of states have developed biobacteria including Maine, Ohio, and Florida. Bioassessment/biobacteria have been adopted or are in development in 47 states and biobacteria may emerge as an important water resource management tool.

Many states are developing bioassessment protocols to assess the health of fish or benthic macroinvertebrate communities. Community health is a biological response that integrates physical, chemical and biological limitations to those communities. Biobacteria for community health are very different than chemical bacteria because they are narrative or numerical standards for this integrated response. Achieving biobacteria may require addressing watershed limitations to biological health and, in some cases, stringent chemical criteria will not enhance biological health because water chemistry is not the limiting factor. The use of biobacteria is consistent with the regulatory shift toward watershed protection. Because of the significance of this potential shift to the regulated community it is important to understand the status and application of biobacteria for water resource protection.