Environment Canada and the provincial Department of Environment and Conservation have been monitoring ambient surface water quality of selected water bodies in the province since 1986 under the Canada-Newfoundland Water Quality Monitoring Agreement (WQMA). The purpose of this Agreement was practical coordination and integration of federal and provincial water quality monitoring activities. On April 29, 1986, an Agreement was signed between the federal and provincial government to establish a joint water quality monitoring network. The WQMA provides for the regular monitoring of an index network of stations, as well as an annual recurrent study concentrating on water quality, sediment and biota in a selected watershed. Since its inception, the Agreement has seen water quality data collected at a total of 111 monitoring sites.