This paper examines the application of two different methods that can be used to assess an existing water quality monitoring network with respect to its sampling sites. The first method uses an optimization procedure, i.e., dynamic programming, to evaluate the reduction of the number of sampling sites in a basin with respect to different monitoring objectives. The second methodology is biased on the entropy concept of Information Theory, which serves to assess sampling sites on the basis of their informativeness. Both methodologies are demonstrated in the case of the Gediz River basin in western Turkey
