Watershed Management

Watersheds are areas of land that drain water, sediment and dissolved materials to a common receiving body or outlet, and they are critical to environmental, financial, and social health. Regardless of a watershed's size (they can range from a few acres to thousands of square miles), each plays an essential ecosystemic role.  They support innumerable interrelated ecological processes and even a slight change to just a single factor--be it climate, geology, hydrology, soil, or vegetation--could result in profound impact.  Therefore, the concept of watershed management is vital to the Green Highways Partnership.  

The Envinronmental Proteciton Agency has outlined four core principles of watershed management (http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/watershedmgt/principlea.html):

• Watersheds are natural systems that we can work with.       
• Watershed management is continuous and needs a multi-disciplinary approach.       
• A watershed management framework supports partnering, using sound science, taking well-planned actions and achieving results.       
• A flexible approach is always needed.

Watersheds are dynamic ecosystems; in other words, natural change is inevitable and necessary.  Natural change comes in the form of floods, fire, drought, glacial movement, and tectonic shifts, among other agents.  On the other hand, human-made change can yield different--often negative-- results.  Watershed management focuses heavily on measures to avoid, minimize or otherwise remediate human-made changes.  According to the Center for Watershed Protection, there are eight tools to protect or restore aquatic resources in an urbanized or developing watershed:

Tool 1. Land Use Planning
Tool 2. Land Conservation
Tool 3. Aquatic Buffers
Tool 4. Better Site Design
Tool 5. Erosion and Sediment Control
Tool 6. Stormwater Best Management Practices
Tool 7. Non-Stormwater Discharges
Tool 8. Watershed Stewardship Programs

Watershed management entails utilizing different aspects of each tool to yield the most powerful strategy possible.  Effective management provides local communities with a realistic approach for maintaining a quality environment for future generations. 

The EPA's online Watershed Academy Web is the premier resource for detailed watershed management information. Each training module provides expert insight into all aspects of the watershed management field.  Click here to explore the site.

Watershed Management Links:

• EPA Priority Watersheds Tool - See a map of priority watersheds based on watershed resources and stressors 
• EPA Region 3 Water - Information regarding watersheds management within the Mid-Atlantic states   
• Nonpoint Source Pollution - Learn about nonpoint source pollution managment programs in the Mid-Atlantic region   
• Targeted Watershed Grants - How to get money from the EPA to implement your own watershed management projects   
• FHWA Exemplary Ecosystem Initiatives - FHWA recognized projects for excellence in addressing the needs of the ecosystem