What does ALAP mean in UNCLASSIFIED

ALAP stands for Adirondack Lake Assessment Program. It is a research program developed to monitor the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the waters of New York state's Adirondack Park.

ALAP involves collecting data on water chemistry, sediment quality and quantity, aquatic plant communities, fish diversity and abundance, land use practices within watersheds draining into lakes or rivers, land surface hydrology and land-use practices in wetlands.

Monitoring activities are generally conducted once every three years at each lake included in the program. Some sites may be monitored more or less frequently based on data needs identified by researchers.

The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) currently manages ALAP under a contract with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

By providing up-to-date information about water quality conditions to resource managers and citizens across New York state's Adirondack Park region, policymakers can better address current issues such as climate change adaptation strategies and potential health risks from high levels of hazardous substances. Additionally, such monitoring provides an effective tool to document long-term trends associated with changing land use activities across multiple scales.