FEATURE
Watershed Management Approach Gains with States Nearly half of U.S. states have adopted watershed approaches to tackle recalcitrant water quality problems. JANET PELLEY losed to shellfish harvesting in 1970 because of bacterial contamination, New Jersey's Navesink River was plagued by nutrient loading and bacteria from farms and recreational boaters. Despite successes in reducing point source pollution, the regulatory system had failed to address the nonpoint problems of the Navesink. Looking for a better way to solve this problem, local stakeholders in 1986 adopted a watershed-wide approach. A partnership of county, state, and federal agencies, with the aid of a geographic information system (GIS), targeted problem areas and implemented a suite of best management practices ranging from manure compost facilities to free boat pump-out stations to prevent animal and human wastes from entering the river. In November 1996, shellfish harvesting reopened on the Navesink River. "This is a great example of how the watershed m a n a g e m e n t approach can achieve levels of pollution control far beyond the old 'end-of-pipe' point source discharge control," said Bob Shinn, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Influenced by the success of the watershed approach, and with regulatory and financial incentives from EPA, New Jersey announced in January that it was adopting a statewide watershed management framework. Since 1989, 14 states have instituted watershed approaches, and 9 are creating frameworks that will unite all local, state, and federal watershed-unit activities. According to Liz Blood, aquatic biogeochemist and watershed modeler with the Jones Ecological Research Center in Newton, Ga., "A lot of what's bringing this about are big-stick financial and regulatory incentives from EPA." Blood pointed out that in the late 1980s, amendments to the Clean Water Act required states to address nonpoint source pollution and conduct Total Maximum Daily Load assessments to determine the amount of a toxic sub-
EPA is also streamlining regulations to complement the watershed approach. A recent example is the issuance of new guidelines for state Clean Water Act section 305(b) water quality reports (2). The agency has simplified the wetlands permitting process and in 1996 allowed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit backlogs for watershed approaches. The temporary backlog allows states to delay individual permit approvals within a watershed so that all permits within the watershed can be approved simultaneously on a five-year cycle. Because there is no legal requirement for statewide watershed frameworks, states have the flexibility to design them any way they choose. Most programs are characterized by geographic focus, reliance on monitoring to measure results, integration of the activities of multiple agencies, and stakeholder involvement. Watershed teams are formed from existing state staff in programs ranging from surface wa-
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stance that can enter the watershed without exceeding water quality standards. She said, however, that states could not make progress on these problems under existing point source regulations. In fact, a recent EPA publication on watershed protection (1) stated that the current regulatory system has "strained state budgets and made multiagency programs, such as nonpoint source management, more difficult to coordinate effectively." Blood concluded, "EPA recognized that the only way to tackle these problems is through watershed management." EPA support for state officials includes free training on how to set up a watershed framework, assistance with watershed program implementation, and technical analysis of specific scientific and economic issues. Financial assistance for watershed frameworks and projects is available through nonpoint source grants (Clean Water Act section 319), performance partnership grants, and Clean Water Act section 604(b) planning grants.
Watershed-wide permitting promoted
ter and groundwater to soil conservation and fish and wildlife. Teams consolidate and coordinate responsibilities for monitoring and data assessment. The state is divided into major watershed units. South Carolina has 5 large units; Washington is divided into 23 areas. Each team undertakes a fiveyear-long assessment of a watershed, which proceeds from monitoring and assessment of data to prioritizing problem areas, developing management plans, and simultaneously issuing all permits for die watershed. Stakeholders, including federal and local agencies, citizens, and industry representatives, are involved during every phase. Each year, the state starts work on a few watersheds, so that usually within five years after a program begins, an assessment of each watershed in the state has also been started. The watershed approach has been praised for bringing cutting-edge science back to water quality management. According to Clayton Creager, water resources scientist and associate director of TetraTech, Calistoga, Calif., "In the past, science wasn't the first principle driving agency activities. They were more focused on implementing regulations and programs." Dave Chestnut, watershed coordinator with the South Carolina Bureau of Water, agreed; he said that measuring success by the number of issued permits led his agency to do nothing more with their data than a strict interpretation of whether dischargers were violating their permits. He said that the watershed focus has led to an emphasis on studying the data for trends that show whether the health of the ecosystem is being protected He added that this approach helps his agency target priorities The statewide watershed framework "is a way to better manage the meager assets we have in Washington state," said Ron McBride, watershed coordinator with the Washington Department of Ecology. McBride's lament was echoed by other water quality managers. Creager pointed out, "There is not a single water quality agency that hasn't been cut in the last 10 years." More monitoring possible Steve Tedder, water quality section chief with the Norm Carolina Department of Environmental Health and Natural Resources, said that cuts in his division had led to a backlog of 500-600 water quality permits in 1989. With the watershed framework in place and no changes in staff or funding, Tedder now has fewer than five backlogged permits. He also said that North Carolina monitors 40% more waters with the same level of effort. One of the main advantages to the watershed approach, according to Paula R. Jewel, watershed initiative director with the Massachusetts Office of Environmental Affairs, is that it provides the most effective way to address persistent problems such as nonpoint source pollution and habitat degradation. The key is the involvement of local authorities. Local stakeholders, such as towns and watershed associations, have the power to implement landuse regulations and facilitate adoption of best management practices. Bruce Baker, deputy administrator with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, agreed and noted for instance that, in the
Monitoring more water resources in a state is one of the benefits of a watershed approach, according to state officials. Debby Sargeant tests phosphorus levels in Washington's Lake Chelan. (Courtesy Washington State Department of Ecology)
past, if a gas station was built near a well-head, the state could do nothing about it. Because cities are now part of the watershed approach, they get information about environmentally sensitive areas and can prevent water quality problems by influencing the way in which land is used. McBride said the watershed framework has led to a faster and more coordinated response to environmental problems. He points to an assessment last year of a watershed west of the Olympic Mountains. Because there was better coordination of data and monitoring, and more of it, the watershed team discovered nonpoint source pesticide residues originating from cranberry fields. Stakeholders from the cranberry industry, state departments of Agriculture and Health, and EPA worked together to implement best management practices to prevent future pesticide runoff. Paul Freedman, water resources modeler and president of Limno-Tech Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich., said that statewide watershed frameworks "are a big trend. It's really exciting to see the states take off with this." Blood agreed but emphasized that because of the expense involved in remote sensing, GIS, and modeling, "no state is going to do this voluntarily. The only way it's going to happen is with federal encouragement and intervention." References (1) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: "Watershed Protection: a Statewide Approach"; 1995; EPA report 841 -R95-004. (2) Pelley, J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 1997, 31, 177A. Janet Pelley is a contributing
editor of ES&T.
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