Steps in Developing a Bioassessment and Biocriteria Program

1. Planning - Establish a Management Framework

9. Program Assessment and Review

The biomonitoring and biocriteria effort is designed to be a continuous process.  Program assessment and review progressively improves water resources by cycling back through this sequence to refine the classification, biocriteria, and protection or remediation techniques.

2. Preliminary Ecological Classification and Expectations

8. Management Actions to Protect/Restore Resource

3. Biological Assessment of Reference Sites

7. Implement Monitoring and Assessment Program

4. Metric Evaluation and Index Development

6. Biocriteria Development - Establish Thresholds

5. Final Ecological Classification and Expectations