ABSTRACT
The water in our lakes, rivers, and streams supports a wide range of uses. Water can be withdrawn for drinking and other domestic purposes, for industrial processes, or for irrigation. It can support fish populations that are the basis of commercial exploitation and recreational fishing. It can be used for boating and swimming. And it can be used to flush away the wastes from factories and municipal sewers. Most of these uses are to varying degrees dependent on the quality of the water. Yet the use of a water body as a waste receptor can seriously degrade water quality and impair or even preclude other uses.
