Water Quality Management
A collection of management programs relevant to a water resource protection that includes problem identification, the need for and placement of best management practices, pollution abatement actions, and measuring the effectiveness of management actions.
Biological Diversity
Refers to the variety and variability among all living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Diversity can be defined as the number of different taxa and their relative frequencies. For biological diversity, these taxa are organized at many levels, ranging from complete ecosystems to the biochemical structures that are the molecular basis of heredity. Thus, the term encompasses different ecosystems, species, and genes; also known as "biodiversity".
Aquatic Macrophytes
Aquatic macrophytes are aquatic higher plants growing in or near water; not algae. They may be emergent (i.e., with parts above the water surface), submerged or floating. Examples of macrophytes in Ohio include Canadian pondweed (Elodea canadensis), American bur-reed (Sparganium americanum), Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus) and American water willow (Justicia americana). Water willow, in particular, improves stream habitat by concentration flows in riffles and providing high quality shallow areas for young fish and invertebrates such as dragonfly and damselfly species.
