Chapter 1: Introduction

In an effort to appreciate the need for and importance of (integrated) Watershed Management it is
necessary to understand what is a watershed, the interactions in a watershed, the effects of watershed
degradation and a basic approach to implementing watershed management.

1.1 What Is a Watershed?

The term “watershed” is central to any discussion of watershed management, but the word is often
misunderstood. A watershed is an area of land that water flows across as it moves toward a common body
of water, such as a stream, lake or coast. This definition is based on a concept with which everyone is
familiar: “Water runs downhill.” Water within a specific watershed will move from higher land to the
lowest point within the area. Watersheds may be as small as a portion of a yard draining into a mud puddle
or as large as the Blue Nile River Basin, which drains several million square miles as the Nile Basin
Initiative (NBI 2007) as 3 million km2, but the values given by various authors vary: 3.255 million km2
(Revenga et al. 1998), 3.3 million km2 (CPWF 2007), 3.1 million km2 (FAO 2007), etc.

A watershed can be described as the area of land that delivers runoff water, sediment and dissolved
substances to a river. A watershed is a hydrological unit that catches stores and releases water through
networks of streams into the main rivers, which finally end in their estuaries by the sea. A watershed is also
an integration of ecosystems of flora and fauna, land and water and their mutually interacting elements.

We all live in a watershed. Watersheds are where we live, work and play. A watershed includes not only
natural elements like ponds, soils, vegetation and animals, but also things associated with people like
houses, businesses, roads and farms. What you and others do on the land impacts the quality of water and
other natural resources.

A watershed is a topographically delineated area that is drained by a stream system. The watershed is a
hydrologic unit that has been described and used both as a physical-biological unit and as a socioeconomic
and sociopolitical unit for planning and implementing resource management activities. When the term
watershed is used in this lecture notes, it refers to a sub drainage are of a major river basin.

1.2 What is Watershed Management?

Watershed management is the comprehensive development of a watershed (basin) so as to make productive

use of all its natural resources and protect them. This includes land improvements, rehabilitation and other
technical works as well as the human considerations.

Watershed management is defined as the analysis, protection, repair, utilization and maintenance of
drainage basins for optimum control and conservation of water in relation to other resources.

Watershed management is a term used to describe the process of implementing land use practices and
water management practices to protect and improve the quality of the water and other natural resources
within a watershed by managing the use of those land and water resources in a comprehensive manner.
Figure 1-1 Schematic view of watershed

FAO (1987) defined watershed management as “The process of formulating and carrying out a course of
action involving manipulation of natural, agricultural and human resources on a watershed to provide
resources that are desired by and suitable to society, but under the condition that soil and water resources
are not adversely affected. Watershed management must consider the social, economic and institutional
factors operating inside and outside the watershed”. For a schematic overview of the inter-related factors
affecting a watershed, see Figure 1-1

1.3 What Is a Watershed Management Approach?

A watershed management approach is one that considers the watershed as a whole, rather than separate
parts of the watershed in isolation. Managing the water and other natural resources is an effective and
efficient way to sustain the local economy and environmental health. Scientists and leaders now recognize
the best way to protect the vital natural resources is to understand and manage them on a watershed basis.

Almost every activity on the land has the potential to affect the quality and quantity of water in our
waterways. Watershed management helps reduce flood damage, decrease the loss of green space, reduce
soil erosion and improve water quality. Watershed planning brings together the people within the
watershed, regardless of political boundaries, to address a wide array of resource management issues.

At the heart of watershed management is the underlying philosophy that “everything is connected to
everything else.” Like the links of a chain or the spokes of a wheel, watershed components are
interconnected and mutually supporting. The health of upstream components directly determines the health
and function of areas downstream. Our actions affect our neighbors as well as neighboring communities.

1.4 Why watershed management?

 Ecological balance – such as sustainable regulation of hydrological cycle and soil erosion control
through sustainable use and management of natural resources including forest, grazing-land, farm
land and water.
 Socioeconomic development - for improving the quality of watershed settlers through sustainable
use and management of watershed resources.
Runoff from rainwater or snowmelt can contribute significant amounts of pollution into the lake or river.
Watershed management helps to control pollution of the water and other natural resources in the watershed
by identifying the different kinds of pollution present in the watershed and how those pollutants are
transported, and recommending ways to reduce or eliminate those pollution sources.

All activities that occur within a watershed will somehow affect that watershed’s natural resources and
water quality. New land development, runoff from already-developed areas, agricultural activities, and
household activities such as gardening/lawn care, septic system use/maintenance, water diversion and car
maintenance all can affect the quality of the resources within a watershed. Watershed management
planning comprehensively identifies those activities that affect the health of the watershed and makes
recommendations to properly address them so that adverse impacts from pollution are reduced.

Watershed management is also important because the planning process results in a partnership among all
affected parties in the watershed. That partnership is essential to the successful management of the land and
water resources in the watershed since all partners have a stake in the health of the watershed. It is also an
efficient way to prioritize the implementation of watershed management plans in times when resources
may be limited.

Because watershed boundaries do not coincide with political boundaries, the actions of adjacent
municipalities upstream can have as much of an impact on the downstream municipality’s land and water
resources as those actions carried out locally. Impacts from upstream sources can sometimes undermine the
efforts of downstream municipalities to control pollution. Comprehensive planning for the resources within
the entire watershed, with participation and commitment from all municipalities in the watershed, is critical
to protecting the health of the watershed’s resources.

1.5 Water as the Integrator

There is no aspect of environmental concern that does not relate in some way to water. Land, air and water
are all interrelated as are water and all life forms. Water is the inextricable link in the environment it is
essential to all life and it is one common element in nearly every development.

In land development there is usually an increased demand for water. Similarly, higher economic
development invariably brings about higher water use. Consequently, the proper management of water
resources is an essential component of development. One viewpoint is that water is the best index of
‘watershed management’, that is, a basin properly managed for water is also likely to be properly managed
in other ways. Water is an excellent monitoring mechanism as it reflects the state of the watershed.

1.6. Watershed Components

Traditionally, a watershed has been treated as biophysical unit which can be manipulated by concerned
policymakers and planners as per management requirement. In most instances, expectations could not be
realized as watershed settlers continued to practice their activities without or with little attention to
activities prescribed by policymakers and planners. A watershed is not as simple as normally perceived. It
is a spatial unit comprising physical resources and socio-economic systems.

Physical resources include the following:

 • Forest
• Rangeland
• Agricultural Land
• Water

Watershed management implies sustainable use and management of all these resources. Conservation of
one resource at the cost of depletion of other resources cannot help to manage watersheds effectively.

Socio-economic system comprises the following:

• Population
• Tradition, culture and institutions
• Local organizations
• Intra- and inter-community interactions and transactions
• Land use
• Non-land use activities

All these components of the socio-economic system have bearing on watershed management.

1.7 Integrated watershed management

Integrated Watershed Management is a holistic area-based planning process, which extends the
government’s policy on sustainable natural resources management and development activities

How to Integrate

There are essentially three (3) factors in initiating integrated development efforts:

a. The existing level of development, from a technical viewpoint;

b. The local social structure and human behavioral patterns;
c. The prevailing economic conditions.

The integration strategy for a watershed can be carried out by various procedures. However, a first step is
usually a resource survey or inventory. This attempts to answer the question of the supply and demand
for resources both natural and human resources. Depending upon the area involved, a survey may include
socio-economic characteristics, soil characteristics, land capacity/suitability classifications, forest and other
vegetation inventories, erosion appraisals, flood information, hydrological assessment including climate
characteristics, water use and other parameters as needed. No inventory system is likely to fit all needs. The
amount of detail included will vary according to objectives and available information.

Of note is that the purpose of any data collection scheme must be very clear from the start. A minimum
number of parameters or, even better, indices to describe the existing conditions should be selected. Before
data collection, the sampling design and analytical techniques to be used should be established.

The following outline illustrates the different kinds of information that may be included in a Watershed
Inventory.
Watershed Inventory

• Name of watershed:
• Location:
• Tributary to:
• Area:

I. Human elements

A. Land ownership, use and development

1. Ownership – maps
2. Ownership – statistical and descriptive

a. Public

 Area by agency
 Use; demands, including special use

b, Private

(1) Areas by class of owner

 corporate & large pvt

 medium
 small

(2) Use and demands

3. Cultural features – maps and descriptive: roads, railroads, communication and transportation Dams,
reservoirs, canals Cities and towns

B. Population – statistical, descriptive

1. Numbers
In watershed
Out of watershed but using goods or services
2. Sources of livelihood and use of watershed resources
a. Wood
Number, kind of activity, value, problems
b. Forage
Number, kind of activity, value, problems
c. Wildlife
Number, kind of activity, value, problems
d. Recreation
Number, kind of activity, value, problems
 e. Minerals
Number, kind of activity, value, problems
f. Water
Law: kind, ownership of rights
Uses: Domestic and municipal – who, how much, where, value
Agriculture – who, how much, where, value
Industry – who, how much, where, value
Recreation & Wildlife – who, how much, where, value
Problems: Quantity – who, how much, where, value
Regimen – who, how much, where, value
Quality – who, how much, where, value
3. Social conditions
a. History and traditions
b. Organizations – social, political, fraternal, etc.
c. Technical and educational status
d. Leaders: their characteristics and outlook
e. Planned developments

II. Watershed

A. The physical setting – maps, statistics and description

1. Topography and drainage system
2. Land forms and geology
3. Soils

a. Hydrologic depth (storage characteristics)

b. permeability and internal drainage

c. surface characteristics (infiltration and erodibility)

d. mass stability

e. Soil mechanics and other engineering characteristics

B. Climate – local – may require interpolation on basis of general relationships (maps, statistics and
descriptive)
1. Precipitation
a. rainfall
(1) amount, seasonal distribution, intensity-duration-frequency, drought
b. snowfall
(1) amount, areal distribution and accumulation, temporal accumulation and
melt patterns
c. other factors
(1) cloud-drip, prevailing storm path and wind direction, rain-shadows, etc.
2. Energy sources and partitioning
 a. Irradiation distribution – areal and temporal
b. Advected heat (air mass movement pattern) latent and sensible, temporal
characteristics .
c. Temperature – temporal and areal distribution, including
means, extremes, length of “growing season,” etc.
d. Potential water losses
(1) evaporation data (empirical)
(2) water balance models (theoretical)
C. Runoff
1. Quantity – total, seasonal; measured or estimated
2. Regimen
a. High How – peaks, volumes, frequencies, time of concentration, by location
and cause
b. Low How – amount, duration, frequency, by location
3. Quality
a. turbidity and sediment
b. contaminants other than sediment
c. temperature
d. other physical, chemical, and biotic characteristics that may
be important (dissolved O„nutrients, algae, Bsh, pH, etc.)
D. Channel characteristics (including flood plain)
1. density
2. shape of drainage net
3. gradient
4. orders
5. capacities – channel and flood plain
6. nature of bed – shape, materials
7. condition (erosion classes)
8. areas of effluence and influence, springs

E. Vegetation
1. Forest or woodland (include unstocked, but capable of supporting forest or woodland)
a. Overstory
(1) type
(2) stocking (density)
(3) age or size class
(4) site quality
(5) hazards (insects, disease, fire)
(6) successional status
(7) special features (wildlife, recreation)
b. Understory and litter
(1) type of understory
(2) density
(3) age or size class
 (4) browse or grazing value
(5) ground cover
(a) type (litter, grass, rock, bare soil, etc.)
(b) depth (litter)
2. Rangeland
a. types
b. density (by species or range types)
c. productivity (by species or range types)
d. browse or grazing values
e. condition
f. ground cover (as above)
g. season of use
h. special features
F. Wildlife (by species)
1. kinds and amounts, location
2. habitat conditions
a. Food
(1) kind
(2) amount
(3) availability in time and space
b. Cover
(1) kind
(2) amount
(3) dispersion
c. Waters
d. Other
G. Other factors – amenities, unique values: historical sites, rare plants, geological formations, etc.

The Objectives of Integrated Watershed Management

Effective watershed management needs to be holistic and interdisciplinary in coverage and scope.
Therefore, integrated watershed management is a process that involves the planning and implementation of
both technical and policy initiatives to enable the natural and human resources of individual watersheds to
contribute to one or more of the following development objectives:

o Poverty alleviation and improved standard of living, through the maintenance and
enhancement of existing, and development of new, sustainable livelihood opportunities for
those individual households and communities whose needs are met fully or in part from the
utilization of the watershed natural resources;
o Improved conservation and protection of forest areas that are important for the preservation of
biodiversity and for protecting water resources;
o Improved conservation and management of the natural resources within individual
watershed/river basin areas thereby enabling them to be used for economically productive
purposes (water, forestry, agriculture, tourism, power generation etc.) on a sustainable basis
while maintaining and enhancing their social and environmental service functions;
 o Improved water resource management (rainwater and ground water) management within
individual watershed/river basin areas to:
 Provide water of the quality and quantity required, and at the time wanted, to meet the
needs of different water users within, and downstream of the watershed;
 Provide human settlements, lowland farmlands/irrigation systems, power generation
and transport infrastructure, fish ponds downstream of the watershed, with increased
protection from damage by floods and sedimentation.
o Increasing the marginal productivity values (MPV) of natural resources (land, water and
forests);

1.8 Principles of IWRM

General watershed principles

Comprehensiveness

 Consider whole drainage basin (headwaters to basin outlet)

 Address all significant factors affecting the resource(s)
 Use an ecosystem-based approach (address environmental, economic and social benefits
 Recognize diversity of watershed in State
 Work across boundaries (land ownership/jurisdictional responsibilities)

Commitment and Leadership

 Get commitment and leadership from those who live and work in the watershed
 Provide State and regional management support and commitment
 Achieve a common vision and collective set of objectives at the watershed level

Process and Communication

 Recognize that process is important as outcome

 Use a stake-holder based process (inclusive from beginning to end)
 Provide for an on-going iterative process with many opportunities for input

Integration of Interdisciplinary Science and Local Knowledge

 Use the best available scientific information

 Incorporate local knowledge and common sense approach
 Acknowledge watershed assessments as a necessary first step

Monitoring and Adaptive Management

 Monitor outcomes (include social and technical components)

 Take long-term approach
 Adapt management based on monitoring results
 Provide for flexibility in the watershed assessment and monitoring approach
Cooperation and Coordination

 Foster local interest and participation

 Promote federal/State/local government/tribal/public/private partnerships
 Comply with existing laws
 Utilize a combination of voluntary and regulatory approaches
 Seek equitable ways to distribute responsibilities and funding

Community-based

 Emphasize local initiatives and energy while acknowledging larger public trust interests
 Do not employ a top-down approach
 Consider scale dependencies
 Recognize beneficial resource utilization

Core Principles of Watershed Management

Core Principle 1:

Watersheds are natural systems that we can work with.

Delineating the Watershed

A watershed is simply the land that water flows across or through on its way to a common stream, river, or
lake (Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.2: A watershed is all the land that water flows across or through on its way to a specific stream,
river, or lake.

You can delineate a watershed (or many watersheds) on a USGS topographic map using two important
map symbols: the blue hydrographic lines symbolizing water and the brown elevation contour lines
indicating areas of equal height above sea level. Since water flows downhill from higher elevations to a
common body of water, to delineate the watershed boundary for a particular place on a stream or lake, you
will need to draw a line along the ridge tops connecting the highest elevation points surrounding the lake or
stream. Delineating the ridgeline on a topo map is actually more challenging than you might first imagine!
Find a blue line anywhere on the map and follow it upstream or downstream; soon you hit a junction with
another stream called a confluence (Figure 1.3). The lowest junction is called the mouth or outlet of the
watershed.

Figure 1.3: Key map information for watershed management includes the watershed boundary and the
network of streams involved in drainage.

Follow one of the blue lines until it ends near a ridge top marking the watershed boundary. Now, let’s
explore what you find within the watershed boundary. The places where surface waters first begin flowing
are called headwaters. Some experts like to categorize the hydrography or water bodies within a watershed
by a classification system referred to as stream order. For example, when a stream first begins, it is called a
first order stream. When two first-order streams join, the water below the junction is called a second order
stream, etc. In this classification system, the next higher order stream is formed when two of the
immediately lower order streams have joined.

Figure 1.4: The water body channel, riparian zone, and upland zone are three zones referred to when
discussing watershed management

We often talk about three management zones when discussing watershed management—the water body,
riparian, and upland zones (Figure 1.4). Water body is a term that includes any stream, river, pond, lake,
estuary or ocean. The riparian zone is defined as the non-cultivated, vegetated area between the water body
edge and the upland area. Riparian means “of the river” and the riparian zone is intimately connected with
the water body. This zone often includes, but is not limited to, wetlands bordering water bodies. The
upland area is not an exact term, but usually is defined as the land above a high water mark (e.g. 100 year
flood plain).
Natural Processes at Work in the Watershed

Importantly, no matter where we live or work, we are in a watershed teeming with unique, interrelated
natural processes. These natural forces help shape the watershed landscape, its water quality, and—in turn
—our lives.

In mountain upland areas, there are unique blends of climate, geology, hydrology, soils, and vegetation
shaping the landscape, with waterways often cutting down steep slopes. Look closely at this picture and the
many things that influence water quality: chemicals from the mineral weathering of rocks, from the decay
of vegetation, and from groundwater.

Notice how the vegetation shades the water, influencing temperature and what can live in the water (Figure
1.5). In an upland plains area (Figure 1.6), you find grassy plains, hardy vegetation, and slower moving,
meandering streams and rivers. In the coastal area (Figure 1.7), where oceans meet land, there are again
different blends of features and processes shaping the environment. In lowland areas between upland and
coastal waters, where tidal wetlands are prevalent, processes serve entirely different functions.

Figure 1.5: In the mountains, Figure 1.6: Slow moving streams and Figure 1.7: Natural
processes are
Waterways often cut down steep rivers are often found in the plains. continually reshaping
coastal areas
Slopes where oceans meet land.

In other words, each watershed—indeed each watershed zone—has unique living and nonliving
components that interact, with one element responding to the action or change of another.

Knowing your watershed means coming to learn the natural processes working within the watershed
boundaries.

Once you better understand these processes, you can better appreciate how the watershed’s ecological
processes help sustain life. Figures 1.8 &1.9 show some examples of how healthy watersheds sustain life.
Figure 1.8: Habitat for fish and other life. Figure 1.9: Growing our food supply places major
demands on available water.

Some natural processes or forces provide benefits to some parts of the watershed while impacting others—
at least in the short term. For example, floods replenish soils in the flood plain, but people and other living
organisms may be impacted (Figure 1.10).

Figure 1.10: Floods can severely impact the lives of people and organisms living in floodplain areas.

Human Factors at Work

Working with your watershed also means understanding how most human activities in the watershed can
occur in harmony with natural processes. Communities located along streams and rivers, for example, are
faced with very basic choices: they can learn how the river functions and learn to draw benefits from it
while staying out of harm’s way—or, they can try to significantly change the river’s behavior in order to
accomplish their plans. It may be feasible to change the way a river acts, but this usually means taking on
costly and never-ending maintenance of those man-made changes; and, despite all the maintenance,
communities may remain still vulnerable to floods and other disasters. In contrast, a community that has
made sensible decisions on activities near the river can avoid a costly maintenance burden while sustaining
their community’s use and enjoyment of a healthy river system. In which type of community would you
rather live and pay taxes?

Understanding Your Watershed

How do you get oriented to what’s happening in your watershed? Again, one place to begin a simple
screening for potential stressors is Surf Your Watershed. After choosing the watershed you’re interested in,
the first page summarizes important statistics that describe the watershed such as:

 size of the watershed

  population
 current land uses by percentages
 counties in the watershed

When online clicking on the words highlighted in blue on this page, you can get more detailed information
about potential water quality or habitat stressors in the watershed. For example, you can find out what
NPDES (PCS) Facilities or Toxic Release Sites are in the watershed. If you want to understand where these
and other potential stressors are in the watershed, you query the database for information such as:

 Population density
 Major roads
 Drinking water supplies
 NPDES sites,
 Toxic Release Sites
 Superfund Sites

BASINS software can then be used to produce maps spatially illustrating this information (Figure 1.11).
BASINS is a multipurpose environmental analysis system developed for EPA to assist regional, state, and
local agencies in performing watershed- and water quality-based studies. BASINS integrate a geographical
information system (GIS), national watershed data, and modeling tools into one powerful package.

Figure 1.11: BASINS software can produce maps illustrating population density, roads, drinking water
supplies, NPDES sites, toxic release sites, and superfund sites.

Maps and other valuable sources of land use and land cover information may be available through your
local government offices. You can also turn to a USGS topo map to get a sense of where the farm, mining,
and forest land is in the watershed.

Why is it important to know about these human activities and where they occur in the watershed? These
human forces interact with the natural forces to directly shape the condition of the land and water. For
example,

o increasing impervious surfaces in the urban areas leads to increased water and contaminant
runoff
o removing vegetation along drainage areas and increased storm flows lead to erosion of soils
which can change the landscape to more arid conditions;
 o increasing the velocity of the water and contaminants it contains can be lethal to living
things
o Or it can create health hazards, reducing our quality of life. Once you’ve conducted a simple
screening for potential stressors, you have a better sense of where to do more in-depth
investigations, including getting out in the watershed to conduct stream walks, windshield
surveys, and strategic water quality sampling. So watersheds are natural systems we can
work with because
o They are practical, tangible management units that people understand, and
o They help us understand and appreciate nature’s interrelated processes and how our actions
can be tailored to complement rather than impact them.

Once you’ve conducted a simple screening for potential stressors, you have a better sense of where to do
more in-depth investigations, including getting out in the watershed to conduct stream walks, windshield
surveys, and strategic water quality sampling. So watersheds are natural systems we can work with because

 They are practical, tangible management units that people understand, and
 They help us understand and appreciate nature’s interrelated processes and how our actions can
be tailored to complement rather than impact them.

Core Principle 2:

Watershed Management is continuous and needs a multi-disciplinary approach.

In trying to solve environmental problems or prevent them from happening, we have set water quality
standards, local water supply anti degradation goals, natural heritage conservation goals, etc. (Figure 1.12).
These goals and standards—usually set by programs within government agencies or different policy
making boards—a have been important in developing regulations and in serving as indicators.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a natural system barometer to hang outside our window that gives us a direct
measure of existing conditions. Instead, we must choose multiple indicators (chemical, biological, and
physical) that can help us indirectly gauge overall system integrity.

Many agencies have found the need for a more integrated approach to assessing conditions and developing
management strategies (Figure `.13). Although they have made progress through existing regulations and
programs, they’re now faced with solving thornier environmental problems that cut across programs and
jurisdictions (Figure 1.14). Particularly vexing are nonpoint source pollution and habitat degradation.
Figure 1.12: Setting water quality standards can help solve environmental problems and prevent water
quality degradation

Figure 1.13: Environmental problems that cut across Figure 1.14: Current environmental
problems require
jurisdictions require an integrated approach to problem solutions that cross both management
agency and
solving. Political boundary lines.

Indeed, many management agencies and organizations are realizing that effective resource management is

 never ending
 involves those affected by decisions
  reflects the integrated nature of nature itself

Watersheds are practical for integrating these efforts. The emerging watershed framework builds on
existing management programs and resources but has as its goal watershed system the watershed’s
integrated system, people start thinking out of the programmatic or organizational boxes and start asking
themselves, “What are our common goals?”

Before we explore this emerging watershed management framework, let’s define exactly what we mean by
“framework” (Figure 1.15). A watershed framework is simply a lasting process for partners working
together. It’s a support structure making it easier to coordinate efforts—a structure made of agreed upon
standard operating procedures, timelines, and forums for communicating with each other.

This is different than a watershed management plan that describes environmental problems, outlines
specific restoration and protection actions, and documents where and how actions will be taken and by
whom (Figure 1.16).

Figure 1.15: A watershed framework is a support structure that makes it easier for partners to work
together.
Figure 1.16: A watershed management framework provides for a lasting process of working together. This
is different from a watershed management plan that describes problems and sets restoration goals.

Essentially a coordinating management framework leads to coordinated management plans (Figure 1.17).

A state agency might be interested in major river basins since it’s charged with assessing and managing
water quality statewide. A local government wanting to protect its drinking water supply may need to work
with neighboring jurisdictions throughout a medium sized watershed. A federal agency may need to
implement a multiple use management plan on a watershed in public ownership.

A local watershed association may be trying to solve a sedimentation problem in a small watershed. If
designed well, the watershed approach links all these initiatives with state, local, and regional frameworks
complementing and strengthening each other and individual projects (Figure 1.18).

The emerging framework isn’t one size fits all. It takes as a given that you often need to work at different
geographic scales, weigh multiple management objectives, and address unique local concerns

Figure 1.17: The framework supports coordinated plans.

Figure 1.18: Many different frameworks can be linked under the umbrella of watershed management.

Core Principle 3:

A watershed management framework supports partnering, using sound science, taking well-planned
actions, and achieving results.

When you’re designing a house, you first think about all the functions you want it to serve. The same is
true for designing a watershed management framework. A strong watershed framework

 uses sound science

 facilitates communication and partnerships
 fosters actions that are well planned and cost effective
 stimulates actions and tracks results

In looking at watershed management efforts across the country, there are three common elements of
successful watershed management frameworks (Figure 1.19). At the center, ‘geographic management
units’ are the watersheds themselves. Partners agree upon a common set of units (i.e., watersheds) to
provide a functional, practical basis for integrating efforts. Stakeholders are involved throughout the
process, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

When we say stakeholder we mean anyone who can impact or is impacted by a decision in the watershed.
There are two general categories of stakeholders: first, there are those people who work together on a daily
or weekly basis. We call these people watershed partners. Then there are some citizens who live and work
in the watershed who just want to be consulted and to provide input periodically. Partners agree on a
management cycle, including activities they will work on together and a fixed time schedule for sequencing
these activities. Importantly, the cycle signals that watershed management is a never ending job.
Figure 1.19: An analysis of watershed management efforts across the country revealed some common
elements of successful watershed management.

Here are some typical steps in a watershed or basin management cycle. Remember, these steps can be
initiated by a local watershed association, basin group, or state agency. (Figure1.20)

Figure 1.20: Steps in a basin management cycle can be initiated by a local watershed association, basin
group, or state agency.

Some key features of this cycle are:

o it’s repeated at fixed intervals (usually five years)

 o It acknowledges change. The aim is not the perfect plan, but doing what you can do this cycle
knowing you can address other issues in the next cycle
o there is public input all along the way
o it takes a triage or strategic approach to watershed management, using strategic monitoring and
assessment to make the most of limited resources
o every step is aimed at taking action and tracking results

Does it sound like a simple cure all or panacea? It isn’t! There will always be crisis and new issues that you
will need to respond to immediately. And, of course, there are management responsibilities—like spill
response and responding to a new permit application—that shouldn’t be synchronized with this time cycle.
And, yes, coordination takes time. The key question to ask in designing a watershed management
framework is: Does this element of the framework make our job more effective and more efficient? That
leads us to the last core principle.

Core Principle 4:

A flexible approach is always needed.

The true meaning of this final core principle is that one should never look for a rigid, step-by-step
“cookbook recipe” for watershed management. One size does not fit all—different regions of the country
have watersheds that function in very different ways, and even neighboring watersheds can have major
differences in geology, land use, or vegetation that imply the need for very different management strategies
(Figure1.21).

Figure 1.21: A flexible watershed management approach is needed because watersheds may range from
total wilderness to intensively developed.

Different communities vary in the benefits they want from their watersheds. Moreover, watersheds change
through time. Eastern watersheds cleared of their forests in the first half of the 20th century had specific
management needs during regrowth in the second half of the century, but management needs will likely
change again in the 21st century. Changes can even occur on more immediate time scales, due for example
to the appearance of a serious forest pest or disease, a change in water use patterns, or the arrival of a new
community industry or enterprise. Watershed management is a dynamic and continually readjusting
process that is built to accommodate these kinds of changes.
Let’s review the four core principles:

1. Watersheds are natural systems that we can work with.

2. Watershed management is continuous and needs a multi-disciplinary approach.
3. A watershed management framework supports partnering, using sound science, taking well-planned
actions and achieving results.
4. A flexible approach is always needed.

Benefits of a Watershed Approach

Now take a few minutes to think about how operating with these principles could benefit your watershed
management efforts and make your responsibilities easier.

Here are some benefits others have found who have used the watershed approach:

1. It provides a context for integration

o using practical, tangible management units that people understand

o focusing and coordinating efforts
o finding common ground and meeting multiple needs

2. It provides a better understanding and appreciation of nature

o understanding nature’s interrelated processes

o Helping answer the question, “What are we trying to protect?”
o linking human activities to nature’s response
o appreciating how nature’s processes can benefit people
o identifying ways we can work with watershed processes

3. It yields better management

o generating ecologically-based, innovative, cost-effective solutions

o forging stronger working relationships
o supporting consistent, continuous management