Utah Division of Water Quality's 2007-2008 annual monitoring program, effective July 1,2007

Utah assesses the quality of its surface water resources to protect it for drinking, fishing, boating, irrigation, stock watering, and supporting aquatic wildlife. Ground water is assessed to protect it for drinking, agricultural, and industrial use. Data are compared against State water quality standards to determine beneficial use support. Various reports are written and disseminated to project sponsors, local and state officials, government and private entities and the public to expand the awareness of the need to protect and enhance the water quality of ground water, rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs. In addition, water quality data are used to identify impaired water bodies and establish water quality goals for implementing projects to restore or protect water quality. Water quality data are also collected to do determine discharge permit limits and to assure that permit requirements under the Utah Pollution Discharge Elimination System (UPDES) program are being met, to evaluate the effectiveness of nonpoint source projects, and to do TMDL analyses for selected water bodies or watersheds.