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1. Aquatic Systems and Water Quality
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The 3R2N water quality initiative defines water quality in terms of:

• physical chemistry - the ability to support life,
  
• bio-assessment - indications of life.
  
• pathogen indicators - impacts of development
  
• Toxicant - impacts of land use and development

Fieldwork takes on two forms: dry weather studies and wet weather studies.

Fieldwork occurs in two settings: in regional streams and on the rivers.

Allegheny County is known for its water quality problems. It is currently assumed that infrastructure analysis will define the problem and provide the information to formulate the solution. While this may or may not be true, it is a known fact that large infrastructure repairs have occurred in other regions of the country with negligible affect on surface water quality. It is also assumed by many in the local engineering community that there will always be a "background' of pathogen indicators in watersheds with human development. Arguably these are questions that can be answered by strategic ongoing regional water quality analysis that addresses water quality in surface waters and streams in relationship to sites of human access and use. It is only through an ongoing water quality testing program that we can ascertain regional surface water quality improvement.

The question that 3 Rivers 2nd Nature took up in 2004 is who should be doing ongoing water quality studies after the project ends? We began by characterizing the regional condition based on our four years of study. We then asked the question, what is an appropriate scope and scale if that work were to continue? What kind of water quality testing is necessary? What institutions are prepared to act upon such a program? And how can our work enable cost-effective repair rather than costly cascading legal actions?

Our policy study, recommends an ongoing strategic water quality program that is framed by:

• A knowledge of the regulatory framework and its points of action and inaction.
• Understanding of the scientific issues of protocol, data quality control, and lab standards
• Case studies from successful water quality testing programs from around the country.
• Analysis of the use of water data within citizen, municipal, and regulatory contexts.

2. Riverbanks and Watersheds ->

-Henri Lefebvre

Funding provided by the
Heinz Endowments, the Warhol Foundation, the Pittsburgh Foundation, and other anonymous sources