Watersheds
Issue Summary
U.S. EPA
Other Federal Agencies
States
Organizations/Non-Government Programs
Publications
Databases and Tools
Financial Assistance
Issue Summary
The term watershed
refers to the geographic boundaries of a particular waterbody, its
ecosystem and the land that drains to it. A watershed also includes
groundwater aquifers that discharge to and receive discharge from
streams, wetlands, ponds, and lakes. Large watersheds are sometimes
referred to as river basins.
Watersheds come in all
shapes and sizes. They cross county, state, and national boundaries.
No matter where you are, you're in a watershed! You and everyone in
your watershed are part of the watershed community. The animals,
birds, and fish are too. You influence what happens in your
watershed, good or bad, by how you treat the natural resources, the
soil, water, air, plants, and animals. What happens in your small
watershed also affects the larger watershed downstream.
Watershed
protection/restoration is accomplished through efforts at various
levels including EPA, state agencies, local agencies and private
organizations. In most cases watersheds do not conform to political
boundaries and therefore effective solutions require cooperative
efforts.
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U.S. EPA
Many communities across the country struggle to find the right approaches, tools and data to include in their watershed plans. EPA recently posted a new Web site called "Watershed Central, a "one-stop" tool, to help watershed organizations and others find key resources to protect their local watershed.
How's My Waterway? Interactive data tool to learn more about the water quality of community, state and national waterways. Includes information on swimming safety, health of aquatic life and drinking water safety.
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Other Federal
Agencies/Programs
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps is divided into eight regional divisions. Each division is further divided in to subordinate districts. Division and district boundaries, for the most part, are determined by watersheds. The districts are the operational level of the Corps, seeing to the day-to-day activities in all of the mission areas.
Department
of Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM). To ensure
the best balance of uses and resource protections for America's
public lands, the BLM undertakes extensive land use planning through
a collaborative approach with local, State and Tribal governments.
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States
Total
Maximum Daily Load Resource Locator (TMDL). For each
pollutant that causes a water body to fail to meet water quality
standards, the state must conduct a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
study. A TMDL study identifies point and non-point sources of each
pollutant that fails to meet water quality standards. Use this tool
to find out more about the TMDL program in your state and to identify
and locate impaired waters in your state.
USGS
Local Offices. The USGS manages water information at
offices located throughout the United States. Although all offices
are tied together through a Nation-wide computer network, each
collects data and conducts studies in a particular area.
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Publications
USGS
Water Resources Reports. Database of publications, reports and scholarly articles focusing on water resources authored by USGS scientists.
Environmental Justice and the CWA 303(d) Program: Practices and Ideas from Conversations among State, Territorial, and Tribal Staff (2022). ELI report on how states, territories and Tribes incorporate practices that consider environmental justice into their water quality programs, particularly CWA 303(d) programs.
Building Community Resilience with Nature-Based Solutions: A Guide for Local Officials. FEMA step-by-step guide for local governments on how to secure funding for and implement nature-based solutions.
Building Community Resilience With Nature-Based Solutions, Strategies for Success. FEMA follow-up resource to the Guide for Local Officials, offering strategies to help local governments design nature-based solution projects that engage the community while maximizing risk reduction goals.
Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Operations Program Fact Sheet. Overview of the USDA technical and financial assistance program aimed at helping states, local governments and Tribes develop and implement watershed project plans.
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Databases and Tools
Watershed
Academy. The Watershed Academy is a focal point in
EPA's Office of Water for providing training and information on
implementing watershed approaches.
Sanitary Survey. EPA app is a go-to- resource for up-to-date water quality data, pollution source data and land use data for marine and fresh waterbody management. Data from this app can be exported for use in predictive models and can help jurisdictions gather information on the existence of algal bloom or bacterial pollution in local waters.
Hazard Mitigation Module: Creating Co-Benefits Through Hazard Mitigation Planning and Water Resource Management Module. Five-module series of lessons with case studies and real world examples, targeted at helping water quality and hazard mitigation professionals learn best practices for integrating water quality and nature-based solutions into Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs).
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Financial Assistance
Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) in ways that encourage watershed protection.
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