National Park Service Level 1 Water-Quality Inventory and Monitoring Program


In Reply Refer To:
Mail Stop 412                                 April 6, 2000

OFFICE OF WATER QUALITY TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 2000.04

Subject:  National Park Service Level 1 Water-Quality Inventory and
          Monitoring Program

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information to the appropriate
Districts about the National Park Service (NPS) Level 1 Water-Quality
Inventory and Monitoring Program (WAQIM; note, this program is separate and
distinct from the NPS/U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water-Quality
Monitoring and Assessment Program).  This memo serves two purposes: (1) as
notification of funding transfer to projects that are continuing from
fiscal year (FY) 1999 or are new starts in
FY 2000, and (2) as a call for proposals for new projects.

In furtherance of an Interagency Agreement with the NPS and the USGS Water
Resources Division (WRD) (NPSIA 2380-99-002), an announcement of the
transfer of FY 2000 funds for continuing projects that began in
FY 1999 and new projects for FY 2000, and a call for proposals for 7 new
invited Parks has been issued by the NPS. Your District has a continuing
project or new project or has been asked by NPS to consider involvement
with one, or more, of the invited parks.  Monitoring funding in FY 2000
will consist of $52,740 for continuing inventories and $84,600 ($45,000 for
USGS) for new inventories. Attachment 1 lists the new and continuing
projects and their respective allocations.  The Parks invited to
participate in the program for FY 2001 may be contacting the respective
USGS District office to assist them in completing their WAQIM proposals. In
addition, interested Districts are encouraged to initiate contact with the
respective Park (Attachment 2) to discuss USGS involvement. Note 
individual
Parks have the final authority to decide how and if the USGS will be
involved. Funding levels for new invited parks are to be $5,000 per key
water body not to exceed $30,000 per park (see
Attachment 3).

Additional guidance and background on the WAQIM program is provided in
Attachment 3. Districts should regard the administrative report specified
in 6) "Reporting Requirements" as a means of documenting a summary of data
collected, prepared, and submitted to the Park Superintendent and the NPS
WRD. A copy of the administrative report should also be sent to the USGS
Office of Water Quality (ATTN: Mike Focazio).

Please note that NPS WAQIM funds do not qualify for match through WRD's
Department of the Interior cost-share program (see WRD Memorandum 98-38).

If you have questions about the WAQIM program, please call Mike Focazio at
703/648-6808 or send email (mfocazio@usgs.gov).
                        

                         Janice R. Ward /s/
                         Acting Chief, Office of Water Quality


Attachment1 
Attachment2 
Attachment3 



This memorandum does not supercede any other OWQ Technical Memorandum.

Distribution:  District Chiefs Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
               Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North
               Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington; Regional Hydrologists,
               Regional Water-Quality Specialists, and OWQ Staff


(See attached file: Attachment 1WQMI.doc)(See attached file: Attachment
             2WQMI.doc)(See attached file: Attachment 3WQMI.doc)

**********************************************
Janice Ward
Acting Chief, Office of Water Quality
US Geological Survey
Reston, VA
703-648-6871