This document is one chapter from the EPA “Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters,” published in March 2008. The reference number is EPA 841-B-08-002. You can find the entire document http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/watershed_handbook.

Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters

March 2008

Chapter 1. Introduction

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Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters

Handbook Road Map1 Introduction

2 Overview of Watershed Planning Process

3 Build Partnerships

4 Define Scope of Watershed Planning Effort

5 Gather Existing Data and Create an Inventory

6 Identify Data Gaps and Collect Additional Data If Needed

7 Analyze Data to Characterize the Watershed and Pollutant Sources

8 Estimate Pollutant Loads

9 Set Goals and Identify Load Reductions

10 Identify Possible Management Strategies

11 Evaluate Options and Select Final Management Strategies

12 Design Implementation Program and Assemble Watershed Plan

13 Implement Watershed Plan and Measure Progress

Read this chapter if...• Youwanttoknowifthishandbookisintendedforyou

• Youwantanoverviewofallthechapters

• Youwanttipsonhowtoskiparoundtovarioussectionsinthehandbook

Chapter Highlights• Purposeofhandbook

• Intendedaudience

• Chaptersummaries

• Tipsforusingthehandbook

1.  Introduction

Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters

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1.1 WhatIsthePurposeofThisHandbook?

Thishandbookprovidesinformationondevelopingandimplementingwatershedmanage-mentplansthathelptorestoreandprotectwaterquality.Awatershedistheareaoflandthatcontributesrunofftoalake,river,stream,wetland,estuary,orbay.Awatershedmanagement

plandefinesandaddressesexistingorfuturewaterqualityproblemsfrombothpointsourcesandnonpointsourcesofpollutants.Experienceoverthepastdecadehasshownthateffectivewatershedmanagementincludesactiveparticipationfromstakeholders,analysisandquantificationofthespecificcausesandsourcesofwaterqualityproblems,identificationofmeasurablewaterqualitygoals,andimplementationofspecificactionsneededtosolvethoseproblems.

Don’tbedauntedbythesizeofthishandbook!Althoughitiscomprehensiveintermsofprovidingresourcesandtoolsforeachstepofthewatershedplanningprocess,itislaidoutinaneasy-to-readformatwithshortcutsandroadmapsalongthewaysoyoucanfliptospecificsectionsformorein-depthinformation.Youmightnotneedtoreadallthesectionsifyouhavealreadycompletedsomestagesofthewatershedplanningprocess.Readthehighlightsatthebeginningofeachchaptertodeterminewhetheryoucanskiptothenextsection.

Thishandbookisintendedtoserveasthebasisfordevel-opingandimplementingwatershedplanstomeetwaterqualitystandardsandprotectwaterresources.Althoughwatershedplansareusefulforallwatershedstoprotectandrestorewaterresources,aswellastomeetothercommunityresourcegoals,theyarecriticalforimpairedorthreatenedwaterbodies.Themostrecentnationalwaterqualityassess-mentreportedthat40to50percentofthenation’sassessedwaterbodiesareimpairedorthreatened.Thishandbookisdesignedtoprovideaframeworktohelpyoudevelopascien-tificallydefensibleplanthatwillleadtomeasurableresultsandanoverallimprovementinthewaterqualityandwater-shedconditionsthatareimportanttoyourcommunity.

Developingwatershedplansdoesnothavetobeanexhaus-tive,expensiveendeavor.Thishandbookshowsyouhowtoeffectivelyandefficientlycollecttheinformationyouneedtoanswertherightquestions.Thelevelofeffortyouexpendpreparingawatershedplanwilldependonseveralfactors,suchastheavailableinformation,thesizeofthewatershed,andthepollutantsofconcern.

Federal,state,andlocalorganizationshavedevelopedmanywatershedguides.EPAintendsforthishandbooktosupple-ment,ratherthanreplace,thoseguides.  AppendixAincludesalistofsomewatershedplanningguidesforyourreference.

Whatisawatershed?

A watershed is the area of land that contributes runoff to a lake, river, stream, wetland, estuary, or bay.

Watershedplansare a means to resolve and prevent water quality problems that result from both point source and nonpoint source problems. Although the primary focus of this handbook is on waters listed as impaired under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, watershed plans are intended both to provide an analytic framework to restore water quality in impaired waters and to protect water quality in other waters adversely affected or threatened by point source and nonpoint source pollution.

Chapter1:Introduction

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1.1.1 HowIsThisHandbookDifferentfromOtherGuides?Thishandbookismorerigorousandgoesintogreaterdetailthanmostwatershedplanningguides.Itdescribesprocessesandtoolsusedtoquantifyexistingpollutantloads,develop esti-matesofloadreductionsneededtomeetwaterqualitycriteria,andidentifythemanagementmeasuresappropriateforachievingtheneededloadreductions.

Usingthesetoolswillenableyoutothendevelopeffectivemanagementmeasurestoreducetheloads.Thehandbookalsoprovidestoolstotrack progressonceyouimplementtheplantoensurethatthemanagementmeasuresarehelpingtoimprovewaterquality.

1.1.2 WhoShouldUseThisHandbook?Wehavedesignedthishandbooktobeusedbyagenciesandorganizationsthatdevelopwatershedmanagementplans.Itisspecificallyintendedforthoseworkinginawatershedwherethereareimpairedorthreatenedwaters.Recognizingthatacertainleveloftechnicalexpertiseisrequiredtodevelopwatershedplans,EPAhasincludedinformationinthishand-bookonhowtoengageandinvolveawidevarietyofprofessionalsandotherinterestedpar-tiesinplandevelopment.Tousethishandbookeffectively,youshouldhaveabasiclevelofunderstandingaboutwatersheds,theirprocesses,andthemajorcomponentsofawatershedmanagementplan.Ifyourwatershedissuesaretechnicallycomplex,youmighthavetoenlistthesupportofexperiencedprofessionalslikeengineers,hydrologists,statisticians,biologists,anddatabasemanagersthathaveavarietyofskillsandcanprovidespecificinformationforyourwatershedplan.

Theprimaryaudiencesthatwillbenefitfromthishandbookarethefollowing:

Watershed organizationsthataredevelopingnewplans,updatingexistingplanstomeetfundingrequirements,orconsideringotherwatershedissues.

Local agenciesthataredevelopingorupdatingawatershedplanorneedreferencestoresearchaparticularsubjectrelatedtowatershedplanning.

State and tribal environmental agenciesthataredevelopingandreviewingwatershedplans,participatingasstakeholdersonwatershedplanningcom-mittees,orprovidingguidancetowatershedassociations.

Federal environmental agenciesthathavesimilarplanningprogramstohelpidentifyoverlappingactivities,providesourcesofdata,andofferotherkindsoffinancialandtechnicalassistance.

1.1.3 WhatIfWeAlreadyHaveaWatershedPlan?EPArecognizesthatmanystatesandlocalgroupsalreadyhaveinplaceoraredevelopingwatershedplansandstrategiesatvaryinglevelsofscale,scope,andspecificitythatmightcontributesignificantlytotheprocessofdevelopingandimplementingwatershedplansusingtheapproachoutlinedinthishandbook.

TheseexistingplansandstrategiesshouldbeadaptedasappropriateorusedasbuildingblocksfordevelopingandimplementingwatershedplansthatcontainthenineminimumelementsthatEPArecommendsincludinginwatershedplansthataddressimpairedorthreatenedwaterbodies.Thiscanbeaccomplishedbyadaptingexistingplanstoincludethe

A waterbody is impaired if it does not attain the water quality criteria associated with its designated use(s). Threatened waters are those that meet standards but exhibit a declining trend in water quality such that they will likely exceed standards in the near future.

Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters

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omittedcomponents,incorporatingbyreferenceexistingassessmentsorotherinformationinanewlydevelopedplan,ormergingexistinginformationintoanupdatedplanthatincludesallthebasiccomponents.

Whereexistingplansandstrategieshavebeendevelopedatabasin-wideorotherlargegeographicscale,theyusuallyneedtoberefinedatthesmallerwatershedscaletoprovidetheinformationneededtodevelopawatershedplan.Theassess-ment,monitoring,andotherdatacollectionrequirementsforlargerbasinstudiestypicallyarenotasdetailedasthoseforwatershedplansorassessmentsgeneratedforsite-levelworkplans.

1.2 What’sInside?

Thehandbookisdividedinto13chaptersthatmovethroughthewatershedplanningandimplementationprocess(table1-1).Eachchapterincludesinformationthataddressesthekeyissuesforeachstep,alongwithhighlightstoillus-tratehowtoapplytheseconceptstoyourownsituation.Inaddition,theappendicesprovidemoredetailedinformationonadditionalresourcesandworksheetsthatcanbeusedaspartofyourwatershedplanningefforts.

1.2.1 ChapterOverviewsChapter 1: Introductionincludesthepurposeofthehand-book,intendedaudiences,andguidelinesonhowtousetheinformationprovided.

Chapter 2: Overview of Watershed Planning Processpro-videsanoverviewofthewatershedplanningprocessandhighlightscommonfeaturesoftypicalwatershedplanningprocesses.

Chapter 3: Build Partnershipsprovidesguidanceoninitialactivitiestoorganizeandinvolveinterestedparties,suchasidentifyingstakeholders,integratingotherkeyprograms,andconductingoutreach.

Chapter 4: Define Scope of Watershed Planning Effortdiscussesthepreliminaryactivitiesyouundertaketostartscopingoutyourplanningeffort.Itincludesinformationondefiningissuesofconcern,developingpreliminarygoals,andidentifyingindicatorstoassesscurrentconditions.

Chapter 5: Gather Existing Data and Create an Inventorydiscussesthefirststepinwatershedcharacterization—gatheringexistinginformationandcreatingadatainventory.Itincludescollectinginformationfromexistingreportsanddatasets.

Table 1-1. RelationshipofChapterstotheWatershedPlanningProcess

Chapter

StepsinWatershedPlanningandImplementationProcess

1 Introduction

2Overview of Watershed Planning Process

3 Build Partnerships Build Partnerships

4Define Scope of Watershed Planning Effort

Characterize the Watershed

5Gather Existing Data and Create an Inventory

6Identify Data Gaps and Collect Additional Data if Needed

7

Analyze Data to Characterize the Watershed and Pollutant Sources

8Estimate Pollutant Loads

9Set Goals and Identify Load Reductions

Set Goals and Identify Solutions

10Identify Possible Management Strategies

11

Evaluate Options and Select Final Management Strategies

12

Design Implementation Program and Assemble Watershed Plan

Design Implementation Program

13Implement Watershed Plan and Measure Progress

Implement Watershed Plan

Measure Progress and Make Adjustments

Chapter1:Introduction

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Chapter 6: Identify Data Gaps and Collect Additional Data if Neededdiscusseshowtoidentifydatagapsandcollectadditionaldataifneeded.Thischapterincludesadiscussiononqualityassurance/qualitycontrolproceduresandthedevelopmentofsamplingplans.

Chapter 7: Analyze Data to Characterize the Watershed and Pollutant Sourcesdiscussestheprimarydataanalysesneededtoidentifyproblemsandsupportdevelopmentoftheplan.Itincludesinformationonthetypesofdataanalysesthatcanbeconductedandthetoolsused.Italsodiscusseshowtolinktheimpairmentstothecausesandsourcesofpollutantloads.

Chapter 8: Estimate Pollutant Loads providesguidanceonusingwatershedmodelsandothertoolstoestimatepollutantloads.Itdiscussescomputermodels,identifiesthetypesofmodelsavailable,andtellshowtoselectappropriatemodelsforyourwatershedstudy.

Chapter 9: Set Goals and Identify Load Reductionsdiscusseshowtosetmanagementandwaterqualitygoals,developmanagementobjectives,anddeterminetheloadreductionsneededtomeetthegoals.Itprovidesguidanceforidentifyingcriticalareastowhichmanage-menteffortscanbetargeted.

Chapter 10: Identify Possible Management Strategiesgivesanoverviewofvariousmanage-mentmeasuresthatmightbeselected,discusseshowtoidentifyexistingmanagementeffortsinthewatershed,andprovidesconsiderationsforselectingmanagementoptions.

Chapter 11: Evaluate Options and Select Final Management Strategiesdiscusseshowtoscreenandresearchcandidatemanagementoptions,evaluatepossiblescenarios,andselectthefinalmanagementmeasurestobeincludedinyourwatershedmanagementplan.

Chapter 12: Design Implementation Program and Assemble Watershed Planprovidesguid-anceonestablishingmilestonesandimplementationschedulesandidentifyingthetechnicalandfinancialresourcesneededtoimplementtheplan,includinginformation/education(I/E)activitiesandmonitoringandevaluationcomponents.Itdiscusseshowtousevariousanaly-sesandproductstoassembleanddocumentthewatershedplan.

Chapter 13: Implement Watershed Plan and Measure Progressprovidesguidanceonusingadaptivemanagementtechniquestomakechangestoyourwatershedplanandonanalyzingthemonitoringdatatodeterminewhethermilestonesarebeingmet.Italsoprovidesguid-anceonusingawatershedplantodevelopannualworkplans.

1.2.2 AppendicesandAdditionalResourcesAppendix A: Resourcesisanexpandedlistofresourcesprovidedtoguideyoutomoredetailedinformationonvariousaspectsofthewatershedplanningprocess.

Appendix B: Worksheetsprovidesacompletesetofalltheworksheetsandchecklistsincludedinthehandbookasfull-sizesheetsthatyoucanphotocopyandusewithyourplanninggroup.

Appendix C: List of State Nonpoint Source and Watershed Planning Contactscanhelpgetyouintouchwithpeoplethatcanhelpinyourwatershedplanningeffort.

A GlossaryisprovidedafterappendixBtodefinekeytermsusedinthehandbook.

A Bibliographythatliststhesourcesusedtopreparethehandbookisincluded.

LookforThisHandbookontheWeb!

You can download a pdf version of this document at

www.epa.gov/owow/nps/pubs.html.

Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters

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1.3 HowtoUseThisHandbook

Althoughthereisnocookie-cutterapproachtodevelopingawatershedplan,plansthatseektoidentifyandaddressthreatsorimpairmentstowaterqualityhavesomecommonelements.ThishandbookprovidesvarioustoolsforyoutoconsiderwhendevelopingyourwatershedplanandincludesmanyWeblinksformorein-depthinformationonparticulartopics.Thedocumentisstructuredsoyoucanproceedstepbystepthroughthewatershedplanningprocessorcangodirectlytoasectionthathighlightsaspecifictechnicaltoolforuseinyourwatershedplanningeffort.

Somecommonthemesarerepeatedthroughoutthehandbooktoreinforcetheconceptspre-sented,provideshortcuts,andhelpyoutofocusyourefforts.Thesetipsareidentifiedbythefollowingicons:

 Nine Elements of Watershed Plans.OneofthepurposesofthishandbookistoshowhowthenineelementspresentedintheCleanWaterActsection319guidelinesareusedtodevelopeffectivewatershedplansforthreatenedandimpairedwaters.Manyorganizationsalreadyhaveplansthatincludesomeoftheseelementsbutmightrequireadditionalinforma-tiononotherelements.Notethatmostofthenineelementsarepresentedinchapters10–13.

 Targeting Your Efforts.Althoughthehandbookincludesvariousoptionstobeconsid-eredineachstepofthewatershedplanningprocess,plannersmusttargettheireffortstomovetheprocessforwardtoachievemeasurableprogressinreducingspecificpollutantloads.Youmightalreadyhaveagoodideaoftheproblemsinyourwatershedandwanttoidentifytargetedmanagementmeasurestoaddressthem.Orperhapsyourwatershedhasonlyonepollutantofconcern.The  iconhighlightsplacesintheplanningprocesswhereitmakessensetotargetyoureffortssoyoucanfocusyourresourcestoidentifythemostlikelyprob-lemsandsolutionsforyourwatershed.

Watershed planning is not an exact science.Oftenwehavetomakedecisionsbasedonourbestprofessionaljudgmenttomovetheprocessforward.Thereare,however,severalplacesalongthewaywhereyoushouldstopandassesswhatyouknow,whatinformationyouhave,andwhatadditionalinformationyouneed.Ifyouseethestopsign, ,takeaminutetoreadtheinformationtomakesureyou’regoingdowntherightpathwiththerightinformation.

Thisiconindicateswherethetopicisdiscussedelsewhereinthedocument,orwheremoreinformationisprovidedinthetext,theResourcesappendix(appendixA),otherdocu-ments,ortheInternet.

Worksheets and Checklists.Worksheetsandchecklistsareprovidedthroughoutthehandbooktohelpyouworkthroughthewatershedplanningprocesswiththestakeholders.Theworksheetsarenotedwitha .AcompletesetisprovidedinappendixBtofacilitatephotocopying.