As the Shenandoah Riverkeeper since 2005 one of my first objectives was to search out data on water quality related to the Shenandoah River and its tributaries to get a solid base of understanding as to current water quality conditions. While DEQ's 2X a year monitoring of streams designated for TMDL review was helpful, the Friends of the Shenandoah River's 2X per month monitoring of critical parameters at more than 100 sites in the watershed since 1989 allowed much sharper focus on "hot spots" and long term trends.