Water Quality Index for Runoff from Agricultural Fields (WQI) is currently being developed by the USDA/NRCS-WNTSC National Water Quality/Quantity Team in Portland, Oregon.

A Water Quality Index (WQI) is driven by a need to evaluate existing conservation practices.

Purpose / Benefits include:

• Comparative Assessment over time & space
• No Substitute for Monitoring/Measurement
• Evaluating Effect of Conservation Practices
• Cost Effective and Easy to use
• Flexible/site-specific adjustments possible