Pierce County Watershed Health Monitoring (from 2016), Pierce County

Pierce County uses macroinvertebrate data as one tool for monitoring the health of freshwater streams in unincorporated Pierce County. We now collect samples from about 40 streams, with each stream being monitored at least once every three years. We use the Benthic Index of Biological Integrity (Karr et al., 1986; Morley, 2000) to calculate a score for the streams. A portion of the results are discussed annually in the Pierce County Surface Water Health Report Card, available at www.piercecountywa.org/wqws. For more information, contact Scott Groce at (253) 798-2477 or scott.groce@piercecountywa.org.