On April 4, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s largest research vessel, the R/V Lake Guardian, began its annual water quality monitoring of the Great Lakes. The data collected help EPA and partner agencies assess ecosystem stressors, including invasive species and harmful algal blooms. The information EPA collects will also help support management of fisheries and water quality to better protect the Great Lakes so they can be used for drinking water, fishing, and recreation.
Since 1983, EPA has conducted sampling surveys in the spring and summer to provide a comprehensive assessment of the lakes’ health, part of the longest-running and most extensive monitoring dataset for water quality and aquatic biota in all five Great Lakes. The R/V Lake Guardian is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, launched in 2010 to protect and restore the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystem.
To learn more, read the full press release on EPA’s website: EPA’s Research Vessel Lake Guardian Begins Annual Sampling of Great Lakes