The Chemical/Physical Water Monitoring program, initiated in 1976, monitors rivers, and streams using State and Federally approved sample collection and analytical methods. River and streams chemical and physical monitoring generates a large portion of the high quality data used by the DEP’s Bureau of Environmental Analysis, Restoration and Standards for water quality assessments, supports the DEP’s priority of achieving waters that are fishable and swimmable, and provides data used for water quality status and trends results to inform water resource management on a statewide basis. Recent information on surface water quality trends in New Jersey is available in the following two reports: