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United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Office of
Research and
Development
Office of
Water
EPA/822/F-97-002 April 1997
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Over the past twenty-five years, substantial
reductions have been achieved in the
discharge of pollutants into the nation's air,
lakes, rivers, coastal -waters and ground
water. These successes have been achieved
primarily by controlling point sources of
pollution and, in the case of groundwater,
preventing contamination from hazardous
waste sites. Although these sources continue
to be an environmental threat in some areas,
it is clear that the causes of impairment of a
-water body are as varied as human activity
itself. For example, our waters and the
terrestrial systems associated with them
may be threatened by urban, agricultural,
or other forms of contaminated runoff:
landscape modification; over-harvesting of-
natural resources; the introduction of exotic
species; and deposition and recycling of
pollutants between air, land and water.
While EPA has focused past efforts
primarily on particular sources, pollutants,
or water uses, many remaining threats are
not so readily amenable to regulatory action
by the federal government. Therefore, we
must look for new ways to deal with these
issues that build upon existing programs,
but more effectively integrate the assessment
and management functions of both local
and state governments, federal agencies and
non-governmental organizations.
Coordinating both regulatory and
nonregulatory programs to prevent, mitigate
and restore ecosystem degradation maizes
good sense for environmental, economic, and
administrative reasons. For example, by
jointly reviewing the results of assessments
for drinking water protection, pollution
control, wildlife habitat protection and other
factors, managers from all levels of govern-
ment can better understand the cumulative
impacts of human activities, determine the
most critical problems within a watershed,
and set priorities for action. In addition to
the environmental benefits, this approach
can result in substantial cost savings by
leveraging,the financial and human resources
available to local communities.
Ecological risk assessment explicitly
evaluates the potential adverse effects that
human activities have on ecological
resources, and organizes and presents the
information in a way relevant to environ-
mental decision-malting. This assessment
provides local communities a forum to
participate in developing management
options for specific resources in -their
watershed, coordinates the assessment
capabilities in existing programs in local,
state and federal agencies, and develops
partnerships between government, the
private sector and the general public.
The information developed in the risk
assessment ensures that evaluating threats
to ecological systems is a conscious step in
the land and water resource decision-malting
process, and that the solutions we choose to
reduce risks to these ecosystems will permit
economic growth and development.
The United States Environmental
Protection Agency is integrating the princi-
ples of ecological risk assessment into it's
decision-making process. The Office of
Water is developing guidance for conducting
watershed-scale ecological risk assessments
as a 'community-based' effort consistent
with the recently released Watershed
Approach Framework (EPA 840-S-96-001).
Concurrent to this effort, and in support of
other USEPA programs as well, the Office
of Researc^, and Development is developing
risk assessment methods and techniques
to address the relationship between human
induced stressors and subsequent ecological
responses.
In this era of shrinking government,
our financial and human resources must
be utilized in the most cost effective manner
possible. By opening the science involved
in the risk assessment process to the
ultimate decision-makers, local and state
government agencies and the general
public, we take an important step forward
in this direction.
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A watershed is a geographically defined
drainage basin where rain,
springs and other sources
of water on the
landscape
flow from
high
ground to low
areas and collect
to form streams,
rivers, lakes,
wetlands and estuaries.
to eiraroniental protection?
The adverse affects of environmental
damage occurring across the landscape
are combined in the water as it flows
into our rivers, wetlands and other valued
surface waters. What seems like minor
human impact in one part of the water-
shed may seriously impair it elsewhere
when multiple impacts are combined.
regulations to protect our
valtiie watershed resources?
Only a few problems caused by human
activities can be regulated by the federal
government. Control of industrial
discharges, for example, is a successful
part of the point source permit program
mandated by federal law and regulated
by states. But many problems, like hab-
itat destruction, contaminated surface
run-off, increased demand for water
by agricultural and industrial
users, and nutrient over-
enrichment require
voluntary actions
and effective land
use practices.
s science
make a difference?
Implementing management plans
that are based on good science makes
good sense. Understanding how a
watershed ecosystem functions and
responds.to human impacts is central
to developing a plan that will achieve
desired results. This is why we are
conducting watershed ecological risk
assessments in each of the five
described watersheds.
(continued...)
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rist assessment?
This is a systematic scientific process
for assessing the cause of observed
problems and predicting the ecological
response of watershed resources to
human activities. It depends on partner-
ships with watershed managers, includ-
ing the public, and on partnering among
scientists. It is specifically designed
to answer managers' questions
about how best to protect their valued
watershed resources.
Bat are the essential iireients
for protecting our watersheds?
11 Partnerships among federal,
state, and local governments,
industry, environmental groups,
and the public working toward
common environmental goals.
ii Science to guide our under-
standing of what ecological
values are at risk and why.
ii Reasoned management decisions
that balances environmental
concerns with socioeconomic
and political concerns, making
the environment an equal partner
at the decision table.
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