waterway work

How’s My Waterway? This exercise is based upon the original “Surf Your Watershed” tool created by the EPA over 20 years ago. In Fall 2019, EPA replaced that tool with the expanded “How’s My Waterway?” tool whereby users can learn the condition of local streams, lakes, and other waters anywhere in the US and what is being done to protect and manage those waters. You can access the tool using the following link: https://watersgeo.epa.gov/mywaterway/ Please answer the following questions. 1. What is the zip code for your home? _____________ (Use your hometown, not WCU) 2. Select one assessed water body that you will use for comparison purposes. Please provide the name of the water body, its designated uses, and a brief summary of water quality (i.e., pollutants, actions taken to address pollution, etc.) 3. Look up 3 additional zip codes for areas with water bodies that might be more polluted that your home town and compare the four. Be specific with your comparisons. Which water body is the most impaired or polluted of the four? 4. If you were working for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), how would you use this information? Recall that in some instances, this information is more than 10 years old! 5. Can you find information online that demonstrates changes (positive or negative) since any of the waters you examined were assessed? For example, if Savannah Creek was the most impaired in 2012 due to pathogen, see if you can find online reports of improvements made to curb the pathogen pollution.