United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
(WH-556F)
EPA840-F-93-001a
July 1933
v»EPA Our Water Resources
and Watershed Protection
All water on Earth is ultimately con-
nected in one vast system. Water that falls as
rain or snow washes down our mountains and
hillsides, runs across the land, percolates
through the soil, swells our rivers and streams,
and eventually flows into our lakes, ground
water aquifers, or the coastal waters and oceans
that surround our continents. Because water
always flows downhill, the direction of water
runoff over land is dictated by the landscape.
The hills that surround a river or stream define
its "watershed," the area from which water
drains into a waterbody. Often, wetlands are
found in the transitional zone between land and
water. Wetlands are an integral part of water
systems. They store water to recharge under-
ground water supplies, and filter runoff from
the land into nearby waterways, and protect the
land from erosion.
We rely on our streams, lakes, rivers,
wetlands, and coastal areas for living, working,
and relaxing. These areas also serve as the
home for a wide variety of birds, fish, shellfish,
and aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. To protect
these resources, our concerns must extend
beyond their aquatic boundaries to address
activities in the watersheds surrounding these -
waterbodies. As water flows downstream, the
quality of the water is affected by those who =
live and work in the watershed and use its
water. Pollutants enter the aquatic system from
"nonpoint sources," such as runoff from agricul-
tural lands, as well as from "point sources" or
direct discharges of sewage and waste water
from industry and municipalities.
Our lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands,
estuaries, and coasts play a critical role in
supporting our Nation's economy. They
provide drinking water to cities, irrigation
water for agriculture, and cooling water to
industry. Larger waterways provide passage
for cargo entering and exiting our coastal and
river ports. We are also attracted to lakes, rivers
and streams for their natural beauty and
wildlife. Freshwater recreational activities also
add to our economy. Wetlands, both inland
and coastal, support an amazing diversity of
life, ranging from waterfowl, fish, mammals,
and shellfish to wild rice. Many plant and
animal species depend on inland or coastal
wetland habitat for survival, while others rely
on wetlands for food, water, and cover.
Coastal wetlands provide food, shelter, and
spawning ground for more than 70 percent of
our most valuable commercial fisheries, includ-
ing shrimp, salmon, oysters, blue crabs, and
finfish.
Wetlands are also important because of
their ability to help maintain and improve water
quality. They remove and transform nutrients,
chemicals, and organic wastes that are carried in
runoff. In addition, wetlands help absorb peak
flows of water during floods by acting as
natural sponges, storing flood waters that
overflow riverbanks and releasing them more
slowly, thereby reducing potential damage
downstream. Serving "as a buffer against the
impact of floods and storms, they also protect
shorelines from erosion. The roots of wetland
plants bind the soil, and their stems and leaves
slow the velocity of the water, protecting stream
and river banks from erosion.
Recent assessments show that our
wetlands are disappearing at alarming rates.
. Less than half the wetlands in this country that
existed in the 1700s remain. Each year, an
estimated 290,000 acres of wetlands are lost to
agricultural drainage and urban development.
The greatest losses during mid-1970s to mid-
1980s occurred in forested wetlands of the
Southeast. These losses have greatly dimin-
ished the benefits once provided by these
irreplaceable resources. We have recently
witnessed increases in flood damages and
decline of waterfowl populations that are, in
part, the result of wetland destruction.
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with Soy/Canola Ink on paper that
contains at least 50% recycled fiber
-------
Coastal areas support industries worth
billions of dollars because of commercially
valuable fisheries, trade, and tourism. In 1991,
commercial fishermen caught more than 10
billion pounds of fish in coastal and marine
waters with a dockside value of $3.3 billion,
which served as a basis for the $26.7 billion
fishery processing and sales industry employ-
ing hundreds of thousands of people.
The quality of our inland waters is also
vitally important for our economic well-being.
For example, the total economic impact of sport
fishing in 1985 was estimated to be $70.6 billion,
with salaries and wages totalling about $19.7
billion from 1.2 million jobs. A two-year study
completed in 1986 found that nearly $1.2 billion,
was spent each year by those in pursuit of
water-recreation activities in Minnesota alone.
Applying Watershed Protection in the Farm
Community
The watershed protection approach is
an integrated, comprehensive way in which
human health and aquatic ecosystems can be
protected and restored more effectively. This
approach reflects a renewed effort by EPA to
focus on hydrologically defined drainage
basins—watersheds—rather than on areas
arbitrarily defined by political boundaries. The
approach includes not only the water resource,
such as a stream, river, lake, estuary, or aquifer,
but all the land from which water drains to that
resource. To protect water resources, it is
increasingly important to address the condi-
tions of land areas within the watershed be-
cause, as water drains off the land, it carries
with it the effects of human activities through-
out the watershed.
The watershed protection approach has
three major cornerstones:
1) Problem Identification — Identify the
primary threats to human and ecosys
tern health within the watershed.
2) Stakeholder Involvement — Involve the
people most likely to be concerned or
most able to take action.
3) Integrated Actions — Take corrective
actions in a comprehensive, integrated
manner once solutions are determined.
Evaluate success and refine actions, as
necessary.
Some examples of local watershed projects
currently underway include:
Pequea and Mill Creeks, Pennsylvania
Agriculture is the predominant land use
in this watershed, with 63 percent of the land
devoted to cropland and 13 percent to pasture.
The watershed has been degraded by agricul-
tural runoff, soil erosion, and pesticide con-
tamination. Human health, especially the
health of infants under 6 months, and livestock
are at risk. Among those working together to
reduce pollutants and control runoff and
erosion are: local farmers; environmental
advocacy groups; Lancaster County Conserva-
tion District; Pennsylvania agricultural, re-
source and environmental agencies; USD A; and
EPA.
Upper Tensas River, Louisiana
Water quality in this basin has been
degraded, in part, because there has been an
85% decline in the bottomland hardwood
forests in the watershed. Most have been
converted to agricultural lands that often extend
to the stream edge. A coalition of stakeholders,
with a wide range of interests, has united to
find mutually acceptable solutions to the
problem. The stakeholders participating
include, the National Association of Conserva-
tion Districts, the Farm Bureau, Louisiana
agricultural, resource and environmental
agencies, USD A, EPA, and the Nature Conser-
vancy.
West Lake, Osceola, Iowa
Local farmers; federal, state, and local
agencies; as well as the county's vocational
school students are working together to protect
and improve West Lake. Water from the lake is
used for municipal, industrial, and rural water
supply, including drinking water, and fish,
wildlife and recreational resources. Sediments,
nutrients, and pesticides are carried to the lake
through runoff from the 6,340-acre watershed
and are threatening the quality of the water.
Farmers are using an integrated crop manage-
ment program to better manage fertilizer,
manure, and pesticides to reduce runoff and
improve farm profitability.
------- |