PROGRAMS AND PLANS--Selected Interim Procedures for Biological and Microbiological Investigations.



                                      July 30, 1969

QUALITY OF WATER BRANCH TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 70.01

To:       Regional Hydrologists and District Chiefs, WRD

From:     Chief, Quality of Water Branch, WRD

Subject:  PROGRAMS AND PLANS--Selected Interim Procedures for
          Biological and Microbiological Investigations.

In recent months the Water Resources Division has placed 
increasing emphasis on biological and microbiological data 
for State and national water-quality programs. With the 
concurrence of the Regional Hydrologists, an Advisory 
Committee on Biology and Microbiology (herein called the 
Committee) was established to make recommendations on 
technical matters relating to research and operations of the 
QW program. The Committee consists of:

K. V. Slack, Chairman 
J. E. Biesecker 
P. E. Greeson 
M. C. Kolipinski 
R. G. Lipscomb 
W. H. Durum (Ex Officio).

The Committee met for the first time in Fort Wayne, Indiana, 
on June 24-26, 1969.  One of the major items considered was 
the documentation of procedures to assure national uniformity 
and quality control of biological and microbiological data 
from Survey laboratories and field service units.

The Committee recognized the urgent need for detailed 
instructions for the collection and analysis of biological 
and microbiological data and immediately undertook the task 
of compiling acceptable procedures to fulfill interim 
requirements, especially for the USGS-FWPCA monitoring 
program. The attached compilation, in accordance with 
previous agreements with FWPCA, is based mainly on the 12th 
edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and 
Wastewater." The compilation "Selected Interim Procedures for 
Biological and Microbiological Investigations" consists of 
three parts:

Part 1. Description of Methods
Part 2. Equipment
Part 3. Selected References

This compilation is for use within the Water Resources 
Division only. It has not been reviewed outside the 
Committee, is not an official publication of the Survey, 
and therefore should not be quoted or listed as a reference. 
Part 1 and Part 2 are transmitted herewith. Part 3 will be 
distributed in the near future.

Plans are to add procedures for other parameters regularly 
determined in WRD programs, and then put the material in 
final form for release as a Chapter of the Methods Manual in 
the Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations series. 
Therefore, comments, corrections and suggestions for 
improvements are solicited so that errors can be corrected, 
and the need for revision determined. Please send your 
suggestions to Chief, Quality of Water Branch, Washington, 
D.C. Code: 4038 0001.



                           W. H. Durum

Attachment

WRD Distribution: FO, A (Regional Hydrologists only) '
Asst. Ch;, Admin. & Tech. S.
Asst. Ch., Res. & Tech. C.
Asst. Ch., Reports & Data Processing