United States
                    Environmental Protection
                    Agency
                            Office of Water
                            4501F
EPA 800-F-93-003
September 1993
AEPA
    Mission
   Legislative
  Authorities
  Programs
Office of Wetlands, Oceans

and Watersheds

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Wetlands, Oceans
and Watersheds (OWOW) is one of four offices within EPA's Office of Water
(OW). It was created in April 1991 to bring together Agency programs that
manage and protect the aquatic ecosystems of inland and coastal watersheds.
OWOW combines the Agency's responsibilities for abating nonpoint source
pollution; restoring and protecting wetlands, lakes, and coastal and marine
environments; and providing leadership for surface water quality monitoring
and water quality assessment activities. OWOW assists EPA Regional offices in
implementing these programs by developing policies and regulations, providing
technical support, and serving as an advocate for the programs with Congress
and the public at large. Through coordination of all of its activities, OWOW
strives to provide integrated, holistic habitat and watershed protection.

Clean Water Act (CW A)
Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments of 1990 (CZARA)
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)
London Dumping Convention  (LDC)
Marine Plastics Pollution Research and Control Act (MPPRCA)
Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA)
Ocean Dumping Ban Act (ODBA)
Shore Protection Act (SPA)

Wetlands Protection
OWOW promotes wetlands protection through both regulatory and cooperative
programs. OWOW and the Army Corps of Engineers jointly administer the
CWA Section 404 program which regulates the discharge of dredged or fill
materials into wetlands. OWOW also works with states to develop State Wet-
lands Conservation Plans that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
government and private sector efforts to protect, restore, and create wetlands. In
add ition, OWOW works with other EPA, Federal, and international programs to
ensure that wetland values and functions are adequately considered in activities.
OWOW also provides technical and financial assistance to public and private
organizations to help them develop specific geographically tailored,  locally based
strategies for wetlands protection.

Ocean Disposal of Wastes

 Ocean Dumping

Under the MPRSA, the domestic legislation for implementing the provisions of
the LDC, OWOW is responsible for developing criteria to be used in evaluating
ocean dumping proposals, issuing permits for the dumping of all wastes except
 dredged material, and designating sites suitable for the dumping of wastes. As
part of this program, OWOW conducts monitoring and takes enforcement
 actions to ensure that waste disposal is not causing any unexpected impacts and

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Since the 1700's our nation
has lost more than half
of its wetlands
Recent estimates suggest
that nonpoint sources of
pollution, such as
agricultural run-off,
cause approximately
50 percent of U.S. water
pollution problems
that dumpers are complying with their permits. While the dumping of sewage
sludge and industrial wastes from the U.S. into the ocean has ceased, OWOW
continues to evaluate the dumping of fish waste, scuttled vessels and dredged
material as well as work with the international community to protect the world's
oceans from harmful dumping.

Point Source Discharges

OWOW implements the ocean discharge waiver program under CWA Section
301(h) which assesses whether sewage treatment plants discharging to marine
waters are to be exempted from secondary treatment requirements. In addition,
OWOW develops criteria for evaluating the environmental impact of discharges
to ocean waters under CWA Section 403(c). Finally, OWOW oversees the marine
sanitation device program, which regulates toilets on vessels, under CWA
Section 312.

Oceans and Coastal Enforcement

OWOW manages a marine and coastal enforcement program to ensure
control and regulation of ocean disposal and marine debris. Enforcement
actions are taken to ensure compliance with CWA, MPRSA, permit condi-
tions and  site restrictions, to require accurate dumping within sites, and to
eliminate  illegal dumping. OWOW provides training and guidance to
assist Regions and States in their enforcement efforts.

Marine Debris

OWOW implements the marine debris program to prevent and control debris
(trash, discarded man-made articles) from entering our oceans and waterways.
This is a serious problem with consequences for marine life, human safety and
the economy of coastal cities. EPA, with the cooperation of NOAA, develops and
implements programs to assess,  identify and control the sources of such debris.
EPA also works jointly with the U.S. Coast Guard to regulate the transportation
of municipal and commercial waste on vessels and to develop waste handling
                               guidelines and regulations.
                                                              Nonpoint Source Control

                                                              Nonpoint sources of pollution—those that are
                                                              diffuse, or otherwise difficult to trace to a
                                                              single point of discharge, such as agricultural
                                                              and certain kinds of urban runoff—are
                                                              thought to be the cause of approximately 50
                                                              percent of all current water pollution prob-
                                                              lems in the country. All three divisions of
                                                              OWOW are addressing nonpoint source
                                                              pollution, with the Assessment and Water-
                                                              shed Protection Division (AWPD) having the
                                                              lead responsibility.

                                                              Under CWA Section 319, OWOW awarded
                                                              more than $140 million in grants to States in

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San Francisco Bay
  Casco Bay
  Massachusetts Bay*
  Buzzards Bay
  Peconic Bay
Delaware Bay
Delaware Inland Bays

Albemarle-Pamlico Sound
     1990 through 1992. States use these grants to implement programs approved by
     EPA that include, as appropriate, nonregulatory and regulatory programs for
     enforcement, technical assistance, financial assistance, education, training, tech-
     nology transfer and demonstration projects for nonpoint source control. In
     addition, under Section 6217 of the CZARA, OWOW is providing guidance to
     States on controlling nonpoint sources of pollution affecting coastal areas.

     Clean Lakes Program

     With awards of more than $131 million over 16 years under CWA Section 314,
     OWOW's Clean Lakes Program has provided support through 580 grants and
     cooperative agreements for selected lake monitoring, assessment, and protection
     projects in all areas of the country. This support has included initial identification
     of water quality problems, in-depth diagnostic and feasibility studies, and post-
     restoration monitoring.  The program is one of the earliest to use the watershed
                                                      protection approach in
                                                      monitoring and restora-
The National Estuary Program                             tion activities to control
                                                      the sources of pollution.

                                                      National Estuary and
                                                      Near Coastal Waters
                                                      Programs

                                                      The National Estuary
                                                      Program (NEP) grew out
                                                      of earlier restoration
                                                      efforts in the Chesapeake
                                                      Bay and Great Lakes. The
                                                      purpose of the program is
                                                      to show how estuaries
                                                      and their living resources
                                                      can be protected through
                                                      comprehensive, action-
                                                      oriented management.
                                                      OWOW also initiated the
     Near Coastal Waters program to create a broader framework for promoting
     coastal protection beyond the limited number of estuaries addressed by the NEP.
     In support of both of these programs, OWOW provides financial and policy
     guidance, and works with other EPA and Federal programs to enhance their
     participation in coastal and estuarine protection efforts.

     Watershed Protection

     OWOW leads OWs effort to align traditional regulatory and nonregulatory
     pro-ams to support overall watershed protection in an integrated, holistic
     mariner. The Watershed Protection Approach draws on experience gained from
     other programs and activities (e.g., Chesapeake Bay, NEP, and Clean Lakes
     Programs) that focus on comprehensive identification, assessment, and action on
     environmental problems within a single watershed. All divisions of OWOW are
     implementing geographically targeted programs and assisting many of the
     Regional and State watershed initiatives currently underway.
                                              Nafragansett
                                            Long Island Soun
                                              NY - 'NJ Harbor
                                                      Indian River Lagoor,
                                                          San Juan Bay
                                        October 22, 1992

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Monitoriing water quality
Robert Wayland
Office Director

Dave Davis
Deputy Office Director

Marian Mlay
Director
Oceans and Coastal
Protection Division

Geoff Grubbs
Director
Assessment and
Watershed Protection Division

John Meagher
Director
Wetlands Division
                         Monitoring and
                         Data Management

                         To achieve its various missions and objectives, OWOW is
                         updating its national water quality and environmental
                         data systems (STORET, ODES, and BIOS) to better serve
                         the needs of their many Federal, State, local and private
                         users. This includes expansion of the data systems to
                         incorporate additional biological, as well as chemical
                         data; integration of increased quality assurance/quality
                         control information to record data validity and ensure
                         increased data sharing.

OWOW also develops guidance on biological methods and environmental indica-
tors, works closely with the Office of Science and Technology in the development of
water quality and sediment assessment methods; and supports the use of monitor-
ing in the watershed protection approach. OWOW also  operates the Agency's ocean
survey vessel, the PETER W. ANDERSON, to provide the ocean sampling and
laboratory facilities. The ship is used intensively by Regional scientific and technical
teams in the management of ocean disposal sites for dredged material and for the
assessment of ocean water and sediment quality along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring

OWOW has taken the lead in supporting and encouraging volunteer monitoring.
This support has included the development of technical guidance to assist volunteers
in the collection of accurate and comprehensive water quality data and the conduct
of workshops, training classes, and educational conferences.

Public Education and Outreach

All divisions of OWOW conduct public outreach and technical assistance activities
such as: newsletters, fact sheets, videos, training, and workshops. OWOW also has a
policy and communications staff that helps coordinate office-wide outreach, policy
and legislative activities that cut  across the OWOW divisions.
 For more information:

 Anne Robertson
 Policy and Communications Staff
 OWOW
 Office of Water (4501F)
 U.S. Environmental Protection
 Agency
 401 M Street, SW
 Washington, D.C. 20460

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