Watershed Management Framework
• Mission of watershed management
– Coordinate and integrate the programs,
tools, and resources of multiple
stakeholder groups to better protect,
maintain, and restore the ecological
structure and function of watersheds and
support the sustainable uses of
watersheds.
Form Interagency Workgroup
• Design and implement a
framework to facilitate the
transition from a programcentered to a resource-based
approach to holistic management
of watershed.
Resource Management Goals
• Conserve and enhance public health.
• Conserve and enhance watershed
ecosystems.
• Support watershed resource use to
achieve water quality standards and
conservation goals.
• Conserve and improve ambient
conditions.
• Reduce or prevent pollutant loadings and
other stressors.
Goals Achieved Through
Operational Objectives
• Identify indicators of watershed integrity
to
– Support sound, scientific assessments
of watershed resources and
– Establish watershed management
priorities to guide integrated efforts
Goals Achieved Through
Operational Objectives
• Increase communications and consensus
among state programs and other stakeholder
groups to
– improve understanding of watershed
ecosystems,
– Strengthen information and data exchange
– Share expertise and tools, and
– Develop and implement integrated solutions
Goals Achieved Through
Operational Objectives
• Implement integrated solutions by
coordinating activities on targeted
watersheds or problem areas within
watersheds
– Regulatory activities (standards, permitting,
monitoring, enforcement, and federal
reporting) and
– Non-regulatory activities (planning,
technical assistance, and outreach)
Goals Achieved Through
Operational Objectives
• Provide a forum for program networking to
– Manage changes in program funding,
– Leverage and share common resources,
and
– Help obtain increased support
Goals Achieved Through
Operational Objectives
• Develop stronger partnerships with
regional, county, and local governments to
– Better incorporate best management
practices and
– Address multiple resource management
objectives within watersheds
Goals Achieved Through
Operational Objectives
• Coordinate public communication and
education forums,
• Coordinate existing means and develop
new avenues for individual and group
participation in watershed management,
and
• Promote stronger resource conservation
ethics
Major Elements – Stakeholder involvement
• Stakeholders include
– Any agency, organization, or individual that has
an interest in watershed management.
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•
•
•
State agencies
Federal agencies
Local government
NGO’s (non-governmental organizations
– Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Club, Waterways
Alliance
– Avenues for public participation include
•
•
•
•
public forums,
monitoring,
plan development and review, and
Implementation
Major Elements –
Basin-wide management units
– Large-scale basins,
• Resource units to focus
– monitoring
– management strategies
• Framework to coordinated stakeholders to better
utilization of resources
– tax dollars,
– time,
– information.
Hydrologic Units
Click on map for definition of units, go to Region 5
for most of Indiana watersheds
Gauging Station
• Lafayette, Indiana
Major Elements –
Statewide basin management cycle
• Scoping and information gathering
(monitoring) – Includes communication of current
status of basin to the public and
– Collecting additional information on
the condition of the basin as a basis for
the watershed priority formula.
Montgomery Reservoir, Clearfield, PA
Water Company
Major Elements –
Statewide basin management cycle
• Basin assessment - Data analysis and summary.
• Prioritization and targeting of resources –
– Develop formula to be an interagency tool for
prioritizing watersheds within a basin for further
action
• Based upon a rating system that considers
– human health and
– ecological health for both restoration and
protection goals.
• Provide basis for decision making and targeting
of program resources.
Tippecanoe River, Pulaski, IN
Major Elements –
Statewide basin management cycle
• Development of management strategies
and plans –
– The basin management plan will serve as the
document for
• summarizing information on the basin,
• documenting proposed strategies for addressing
problems, and
• communicating to the public the status of
watersheds.
West Branch Susquehana River, Clearfield, PA
Major Elements –
Statewide basin management cycle
• Implementation –
– A "tool box" of implementation activities
is prepared
– Serves as resource for addressing various
environmental problems
Major Elements –
Statewide basin management cycle – tool
kit
NRCS
Conservation
Reserve Program
Conservation Reserve
Enhancement Program
Major Elements –
Statewide basin management cycle – tool kit
Wildlife Habitat
Incentives Program
Wetland Reserve
Program
Forestry Best Management Practices
Agriculture Best Management Practices
Slump in Humuya Watershed, Honduras, C.A.
Benefits of Watershed Approach
• More direct focus on the resource to be protected,
tailored to the region- and basin-specific problems
and conditions that may be present
• Coordination among programs and agencies that
perform similar duties, thus stretching tax dollars
and man-power
• Improved capabilities to address complex
environmental issues that cross agencies'
jurisdictions
Polk County
Oregon
Benefits of Watershed Approach
• Improved basis for management decisions as
better coordination of monitoring is established
and more information is gathered on a specific
basin
• Consistency and continuity is encouraged as an
initial framework is prepared and applied evenly
to all basins in a systematic and sequential fashion
• Opportunities for data sharing enhanced as
agencies and organization improve
communication and coordination
Muscatatuck
Restoration
Benefits of Watershed Approach
• Enhanced public involvement as agency
solicits stakeholder input and participation
• Encouragement of innovative solutions with
input from the various stakeholders,
especially at the local level
Missouri River
overflow area