Idaho DEQ Stream Monitoring Locations (BURP)

In 1993, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) embarked on a pilot monitoring program, the Beneficial Use Reconnaissance Project (now Beneficial Use Reconnaissance Program [BURP]) aimed at integrating biological monitoring with physical habitat assessment to characterize stream integrity and the quality of Idaho's waters. The program has been implemented statewide since 1994. DEQ's past monitoring and assessment practices and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rapid bioassessment protocols (RBPs) provided the foundation for BURP monitoring protocols. The purpose of BURP is to assist in determining the existing uses and beneficial use support status of Idaho's water bodies. The purposes of an annual BURP work plan are to provide background information about the program and list program objectives for a specific year. A companion to this work plan, the Beneficial Use Reconnaissance Program Field Manual for Wadeable (Small) Streams (Clark, in prep), describes the methods used in BURP. Idaho DEQ Monitoring and Assessment Annual Work Plan (2022) (PDF) BURP Data Viewer