United States Environmental
Protection Agency
Office of Water
March 1992
V>EPA WATERSHED EVENTS
• An EPA Bulletin on Integrated Aquatic Ecosystem Protection*
• EPA GUIDANCE
PROMOTES THE WATERSHED
PROTECTION APPROACH
EPA's 1992 Agency Operating
Guidance (AOG), issued in April
1991, promises significant activity
within watersheds chosen for
attention by EPA Regions. The
AOG states:
In FY92, (EPA) will focus actual
protection and restoration
activities in specific watersheds
that were identified in 1991.
The criteria for evaluating .
and selecting watersheds will
include: human health and
ecological risk; possibility of
additional environmental
Continued page 4-Guidance
Watershed Events Is Intended to
update Interested parties on the
development anduseof watershed
protection approaches tot
Improving the environmental
quality of aquatic eco-systems.
Watershedprotectlonapproaches
are Integrated and holistic. That
Is, they consider the primary
threats to human and ecosystem
health within the watershed,
Involve those people most
concerned or able to take actions
to solve those problems,and'then
take corrective actions: In a
comprehensive manner.
^ Printed on Recycled Paper
• EPA AND OTHER
WATERSHED PROTECTION
PARTNERS DISCUSS NEEDS
AND CONCERNS
In mid-February, Bob Wayland,
Director of the Office of Wetlands,
Oceans and Watersheds, along with
Dave Davis, Deputy Director, and
Louise Wise, Director of Policy and
Communications staff met with
several representatives of state and
local government associations to
discuss EPA's work to support
watershed protection efforts around
the country. Here are some of the
questions raised along with
OWOW's response.
What is the relationship of EPA
watershed protection projects to multi-
jurisdictional, multipurpose agencies,
e.g. regional councils, across the
country?
A key element of the watershed
protection approach as envisioned
by EPA is stakeholder involvement
We define stakeholders broadly as .
those people and organizations with
an interest in the watershed and
some capacity to take action. The
complement of "stakeholders"
involved may vary from watershed
to watershed, but is likely to include
representatives of the regulated
community, local, state, regional, and
federal governments, public and
private institutions, and environ-
mental and other special interest
groups. Particularly in watersheds
that cross state boundaries, we
would hope that regional authorities
would be involved in watershed
protection projects.
What do we really mean by
"integrated, holistic approach?" Are
we focusing on results, or, rather,
concentrating on how we deliver
program management?
The primary thrust of EPA's water-
shed protection approach is to align
existing water quality management
programs, for which we have major
responsibilities, so that they support
integrated watershed-based plan-
ning, implementation, and monitor-
ing to complement state, local, and
citizen efforts, and take advantage of
the strengths of each participating
entity. At the same time, our efforts
to date have shown that problems
and opportunities that may have
been obscured by our focus on
particular pollutants or pollution
sources become obvious when we
begin by asking, "What is affecting
this watershed? Can the resource
and stressors be managed differ-
ently?" More simply put, the
approach attempts to honor the
interconnectedness of aquatic
systems by managing human impact
on those systems in an integrated,
holistic fashion.
Continued page 3-Concerns
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Page 2
Watershed Events
March 1992
• CLARION CALL FOR
WATERSHED PROTECTION
FROM NATIONAL LEADERS
Water Quality 2000, a consortium of
more than 80 public, private, and
nonprofit organizations dedicated to
improving our nation's water quality
programs, found that narrowly
focused policies have impeded our
progress. Recent Water Quality 2000
reports challenge us to adopt a
watershed approach broadly, stating
that it "provides the framework to
evaluate a natural resource problem
using a natural systems approach. It
is well suited to track holistic cause-
and-effect water quality relationships
since it can link upstream uses with
downstream effects. Without
understanding these relationships, it
is difficult to assess current or
potential conditions or to remediate
cumulative environmental
degradation."
In addition, at the winter meeting of
the National Governors' Association,
the nation's governors adopted a
new policy for a systematic approach
to water resource management
They state:
Historically this nation has
approached water resources as
isolated and categorical, with
programs designed specifically
for certain waters depending
upon where they are found.
Now we know flhat our water
resources are part of an interre-
lated hydrologic and environ-
mental system that demands
systematic management. The
Governors believe the future
demands a new model for
managing water resources,
based on well-defined geo-
' graphic units such as basins or
watersheds, that recognizes all
the interconnections within the
watershed that define the
hydrologic cycle in that area,
including surface and
groundwaters as well as wet-
lands. The management of any
watershed should reflect all of
the things that make it unique,
including specific precipitation
patterns, topography, soil and
geological characteristics, and
land use...
There are few, if any, signifi-
cant scientific barriers to the
transition from our current
collection of categorical pro-
grams to this kind of compre-
hensive, systems-based ap-
proach to water resource man-
agement. However, the Gover-
nors recognize that there are
significant institutional ob-
stacles, and that the new model
needs to be developed in an
evolutionary fashion. It will
require unprecedented coopera-
tipn among many state and local
entities, among state and federal
agencies, and between states in
the case of watersheds crossing
state lines.
• INTERNATIONAL INTEREST
IN WATERSHED PROTECTION
Plans for the United Nations
Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED), to be held
this June in Brazil, are taking shape.
At this conference, representatives
from around the world will consider
"Agenda 21," perhaps best described
as a worldwide strategic'plan for
environmental protection. Recent
drafts of Agenda 21 recognize water
as both a natural resource and
economic good and call for
"dynamic, interactive, iterative, and
multisectoral approaches" to water
resource management.
In January 1992, experts from 113
countries attended the International
Conference on Water and the
Environment in Dublin, Ireland.
Lajuana Wilcher, Assistant Adminis-
trator for Water at EPA, represented
the United States and served as
rapporteur for the subgroup consid-
ering protection of water resources,
water quality and aquatic ecosys-
tems. The group concluded that, due
to their interconnected nature, fresh
water systems require management
approaches that are "holistic rather
than piece-meal, systematically
based rather than micro-managed,
and based on a balanced consider-
ation of the total needs of people and
the environment." The group's
recommendations will be put
• forward at the UNCED meeting in
June.
• TMDL—RESOURCES FOR
WATERSHED PLANNING
The Watershed Branch, Office of
Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds,
has established a 'TMDL SWAT
team" to provide expert advice on
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
analyses in watersheds. Limited
financial support also is available for
TMDL development.
Section 303(d) of the Clean Water
Act establishes the TMDL process to
provide for more stringent water-
quality based controls when technol-
ogy-based controls are inadequate to
meet State water quality standards.
In April 1991, EPA issued Guidance-
for Water Quality-based Decisions:
The TMDL Process. The guidance
suggests mechanisms for integrating
the management of point and
nonpoint poEution, and considering.
multiple sources, habitat, and other
watershed issues. Workshops on the
TMDL process, with State and
Regional water quality managers in
attendance, were recently completed
in all ten EPA regions. For more
information contact the Regional
TMDL coordinator, Bruce Newton
(202 260-7074) or Don Brady (202-
260-5368).
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March 1992
Watershed Events
• EPA HEADQUARTERS NEWS
Watershed Protection Headquarters
Support Team
A team with representatives from all
four EPA Office of Water offices has
been convened to serve the Regions,
states, local, and nongovernmental
entities pursuing watershed protec-
tion approaches. Four subgroups
will tackle different aspects of the
work ahead. The subgroups are:
Operational Program Integra-
tion Subgroup—to eliminate
barriers and identify actions to
be taken to promote and support
watershed programs within
EPA, State, and interstate
agencies. For more information,
contact Jim Home (202 260-
5802)
Partnership Development and
Outreach Subgroup —to open,
improve, and maintain commu-
nication with potential stake-
holders, including other Federal
agencies, State and local govern-
ments, and nongovernmental
organizations. For more infor-
mation, contact Glenn Eugster
(202 260-6045) or Janet
Pawlukiewicz (202 260-9194)
Regional Implementation
Subgroup—To maintain com-
munication with EPA Regions,.
to support development of
Regional frameworks and
projects; to analyze individual
projects in terms of what actions
HQ needs to take to support
projects. For more information
contact John Pai (202 260-8076)
Technical Support Subgrbup-r-
.to develop tools arui provide : .r
training and support on existing
tOOlS tO °—'-—- • ^iCi-Ci'S.S:!s-.i' •" v. ••-•
.
other m^rested orgaini^^ns^: i
For more information contact
Elizabeth Jester {202 26^7074) or
Bruce Newton; (202 260-7074). ;
CONCERNS-from page 1
Is EPA advocating a "bottom up" or
"top down" approach to watershed
protection?
We're pursuing both. For example,
the National Estuary Program (NEP)
works to protect estuaries of national
significance. Although dependent
on grass roots support^eading to a
Governor's nomination of an estu-
ary, an official designation by the
EPA administrator is required to
convene a NEP management confer-
ence. On the other hand, many of
the EPA Regional offices have
become more and more involved
with grass roots efforts that aim to
protect small, local watersheds. In
different watershed projects, EPA's
role may .vary considerably from
convenor or coordinator to approver,
promoter, supporter, or
implementor. Put another way, in
some cases EPA may be a very active
participant—in others EPA may
have no direct role at all.
Watersheds can vary in size from a
small, local creek and environs to a
major portion of the "lower forty-
eight" (the Mississippi River
watershed). On what scale is EPA
promoting this approach?
Once again, we are interested in
variety—large and small watersheds
and everything in between. Cur-
rently, EPA coordinates several
programs to protect huge water
bodies—the Chesapeake Bay Pro-
gram, the Great Lakes program and
the Gulf of Mexico program. At the
same time, the Puget Sound NEP has
targeted six sub-watershed projects
within its scope, each of which is
dealing with specific problems most
relevant to those parts of the larger
system. Clearly in some cases, an
individual small creek, lake, or
wetland may be the focus—the
critical criterion is not size but the
ability to coalesce interest and
resources around a particular aquatic
system.
Many areas have initiated river
corridor management planning
processes under a variety of names.
How does the Watershed Protection
Approach relate to these activities?
River corridor management plans
are an excellent example of the
approach that EPA is promoting.
These plans combine all the key
elements of the watershed
approach—a landscape focus at the
watershed level, an integrated
"holistic" approach to natural
resources and water quality
management, and strong
stakeholder involvement.
Organizations Met with to Discuss the
Watershed Protection Approach
Association of State and Interstate Wate
Pollution Control Administrators
Association of Metropolitan Sewerage
Agencies
Association of State Floodplain
Managers . .
Association of State Wetland Managers
Coastal States Organization
International Association of Fish ar.d
Wildlife Agencies
Interstate Council on Water Policy
National Association of Attorneys
General
National Association of Regional
Councils
National Association of State
Conservation Agencies
National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture
National Association of State Foresters
National Association of Towns and
Townships
National Conference of State
Legislatures
National Governor's Association
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Page 4
Watershed Events
March 1992
GUIDANCE-from pag« 1
degradation; likelihood of
achieving demonstrable envi-
ronmental results;
implementability; extent of
alliances with other Federal
agencies and States to coordi-
nate resources and actions; value
of the watershed to the public;
resource needs; and use of
existing or development of new
assessment
information—Programs in these
targeted areas will emphasize
integrating traditional control
technologies such as water
quality standards, permits, and
enforcement actions with a
broader use of nonpoint source
control and prevention pro-
grams, the technology informa-
tion network, education, and
public outreach. We will also
encourage States to consider
geographically targeted high
priority watersheds in their SRF
' goals and objectives. Our
approach will increasingly be
tailored for individual water-
sheds to ensure that maximum
risk reductions and critical
habitat protectipn occurs.
This commitment to promote
integrated activity within targeted
watersheds is already reflected in
several of the more program-specific
guidance documents issued recently.
NPDES Permit Issuance
Optimally, the National Pollut-
ant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) program has a
permit in effect on the date the
prior permit expires. Incases
where States are targeting
watersheds for comprehensive
protection efforts, EPA is now
offering permit reissuance
flexibility. The Agency Operat-
ing Guidance allows States that
consider adopting a five-year
strategy to reissue no less than
20% of all permits within the
State (unless the State has a year
in which there are less than 20%
of all permits expired or expir-
ing). This allows States, and
EPA Regions, to align NPDES
permits within targeted water-
sheds on a five-year cycle.
Wetlands Program FY92 Grants
Watershed protection projects
will receive preferential treat-
ment in funding decisions for
the FY92 State Wetlands Grants
Program. The guidance speci-
fies that these projects
"... should have a geographic or
ecosystem focus, should have a
substantial wetland component,
should involve various levels of
government and the private
sector...(and) should consider all
possible environmental protec-
tion techniques or approaches to
identify and address the prob-
lems." The guidance further
suggests that, "A watershed
protection plan or strategy can
provide a blueprint for effec-
tively managing wetlands
resources in a geographic area"
and requires that, 'These
projects should include a defini-
tive implementation strategy or
action plan which outlines a
specific implementation sched-
ule, assigns lead agency or office
responsibility, assigns responsi-
bility for carrying out tasks, and
criteria for measuring success."
Award and Management of Nonpoint
Source Program Implementation
Grants
Watershed projects that are
designed to directly protect or
restore specific surface or.
ground waters are seen as
essential to the success of the
national nonpoint source pro-
gram. This guidance empha-
sizes that comprehensive water-
shed projects should be given a
central role in State program
implementation efforts. It also
stipulates that funded water-
shed protection activities should
form part of a comprehensive
approach designed to control all
of the major nonpoint sources
affecting water quality through-
out the watersheds or ground
water areas being protected.
Near Coastal Waters Program(NCW)
"The NCW program is intended
to implement the Watershed
Protection Approach in coastal
watersheds." This statement
from the recent near coastal
waters guidance emphasizes the
close relationship between
EPA's ongoing coastal programs
and watershed protection. The
NCW program views the
watershed approach as a simple;
yet powerful framework for
integrating Agency programs,
focusing management attention,
and allocating resources. Within
the framework of watershed
protection, the goals of the Near
Coastal Waters Program are to
direct and focus EPA's coastal
activities within priority geo-
graphic areas, promote linkages .
among programs, encourage a
comprehensive approach to
problem assessment and man-
agement, and maximize envi-
ronmental results. These goals
are achieved chiefly through
Regional NCW Strategies and
are carried out through activities
described in annual work plans.
For more Information on the Watershed
Protection Approach, contact:
Janet Pawlgkiewicz .
Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460
(202)260-9194:
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