Report on the Genus-Level Virginia Stream Condition Index in the Non-Coastal Areas of Virginia

Abstract

This report details the activities and findings of Task 1 of the Academic Research Group (ARG) to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for fiscal year (FY) 2026. The goal of this activity was to review the methodology and underlying datasets used by DEQ in developing new genus-level, macroinvertebrate, multi-metric, bioassessment indices. The review focused on biological questions around metric selection, relationships between stressors and genus-level identification of macroinvertebrates, and ways DEQ’s technical bulletin might provide statistical results that could help practitioners better understand the ecological drivers of their own assessments.