This indicator uses an assessment of the stress level of aquatic benthic invertebrate communities as a proxy for the health of Basin-Boundary watercourses. Data are sourced from eight community-led water quality monitoring programs that collectively report on 35 sites on rivers and streams. To ensure comparability of results, each program uses the same nationally-endorsed sampling protocol which is provided by the Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network. For more information on these programs, or to view data, visit the Columbia Basin Watershed Network’s website. Benthic invertebrates are organisms that live at the bottom of lakes and streams (e.g., aquatic worms and snails). Benthic communities are sensitive to environmental change. Therefore, the abundance and distribution of certain species can indicate a change in water quality or the overall health of a watercourse.