Two important criteria for evaluating the health of our waterways are whether they have enough dissolved oxygen to fully support aquatic life and whether they fully support recreational use.

These criteria determine whether a waterway is "impaired" according to EPA standards.

All 30 square miles of the Inland Bays fully support aquatic life, but only 41 percent support recreational use. The rivers and streams that drain into the bays are not as healthy, however, as only 32 percent of those waterways fully support aquatic life, and none of those waterways are recommended for primary recreational contact.