James R. Karr is professor of fisheries and zoology and adjunct professor of civil engineering, environmental health, and public affairs at the University of Washington.
He is the co-author of Restoring Life in Running Waters: Better Biological Monitoring (1998, Island Press) and Entering the Watershed: A New Approach To Save America's River Ecosystems (1993, Island Press).
Despite nearly three decades of efforts intended to protect the nation's waters, and some success against certain forms of chemical and organic contamination, many of our nation's waterways continue to be seriously degraded. The call of the 1972 Clean Water Act -- "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters" -- remains unanswered.
Restoring Life in Running Waters discusses freshwater ecosystems in the United States and the need for using biology to understand their present condition.