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Exploring How Clean Water Act Enforcement Influences Stream Macroinvertebrate Communities, Shelby Renee Burks Ward
Exploring How Clean Water Act Enforcement Influences Stream Macroinvertebrate Communities, Shelby Renee Burks Ward
Masters Theses
Enforcement is a key feature of the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program regulates effluent into streams that may impact aquatic life. Yet, authorities do not always enforce permits when violations occur. My research examines macroinvetebrate survey data near NPDES permitted facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee to determine the influence of enforcement actions on aquatic biodiversity. Pre-existing data from the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies was used to make quantitative and spatial comparisons.
My first study used multiple regression to explore whether enforcement and freshwater community indicators changed together. North …