ABSTRACT
Rapid Bioassessment Protocol ................................................................................. 17 Material and Methods Specific to the Georgia Ecoregions Project ......................... 18
Study Area ........................................................................................................... 18 Sample Collection ...............................................................................................20 Sampling Site Selection ......................................................................................20 Field Sampling .................................................................................................... 21 Laboratory Analysis ............................................................................................23 Physical Analysis ................................................................................................23 Chemical Analysis ...............................................................................................24 Biological Analysis .............................................................................................24 Data Analysis ......................................................................................................25 Database Development and Site Groups .............................................................25 Metric Calculation and Scoring ..........................................................................26 Multimetric Biotic Index Development .............................................................. 31
References ................................................................................................................ 32
RBP document to provide basic aquatic life data for water quality management purposes such as problem screening, site ranking, and trend monitoring (Barbour et al. 1999). States have found these protocols to be useful as a framework for their biocriteria monitoring programs. The RBP document was meant as a self-corrective process as science advances; the implementation by state water resource agencies has contributed to refinement of the original procedure for regional specificity. The RBP document, revisited in 1999, reflects the advancement in bioassessment methods since the original 1989 version, and provides an updated compilation of the most cost-effective and scientifically valid approaches.
