• Return to  Watershed Planning

Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters

This handbook is intended to help communities, watershed organizations, state, local, tribal and federal environmental agencies develop and implement watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources. It was designed to help any organization undertaking a watershed planning effort, and it should be particularly useful to persons working with impaired or threatened waters. EPA intends for this handbook to supplement existing watershed planning guides that have already been developed by agencies, universities and other nonprofit organizations. The handbook is generally more specific than other guides with respect to guidance on quantifying existing pollutant loads, developing estimates of the load reductions required to meet water quality standards, developing effective management measures and tracking progress once the plan is implemented.

EPA will be seeking advice from watershed organizations in developing the future versions of the handbook. A mailbox for emailed comments, suggestions and corrections has been created.

• Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters (PDF)(400 pp, 14 MB, March 2008, EPA 841-B-08-002)
• Cover, Table of Contents & Acronyms & Abbreviations (PDF)(23 pp, 846 K)
• Chapter 1. Introduction (PDF)(7 pp, 1 MB)
• Chapter 2: Overview of Watershed Planning Process (PDF)(19 pp, 2 MB)
• Chapter 3: Build Partnerships (PDF)(19 pp, 2 MB)
• Chapter 4: Define Scope of Watershed Planning Effort (PDF)(17 pp, 591 K)
• Chapter 5: Gather Existing Data & Create an Inventory (PDF)(50 pp, 3 MB)
• Chapter 6. Identify Data Gaps and Collect Additional Data If Needed (PDF)(24 pp, 1 MB)
• Chapter 7. Analyze Data to Characterize the Watershed and Pollutant Sources (PDF)(18 pp, 2 MB)
• Chapter 8. Estimate Pollutant Loads (PDF)(38 pp, 3 MB)
• Chapter 9. Set Goals and Identify Load Reductions (PDF)(14 pp, 833 K)
• Chapter 10. Identify Possible Management Strategies (PDF)(24 pp, 1 MB)
• Chapter 11. Evaluate Options and Select Final Management Strategies (PDF)(35 pp, 2 MB)
• Chapter 12. Design Implementation Program and Assemble Watershed Plan (PDF)(32 pp, 969 K)
• Chapter 13. Implement Watershed Plan and Measure Progress (PDF)(15 pp, 894 K)
• Appendix A: Resources (PDF)(15 pp, 603 K)
• Appendix B: Worksheets (PDF)(26 pp, 358 K)
• Appendix C: List of State Nonpoint Source and Watershed Planning Contacts (PDF)(9 pp, 162 K)
• Glossary (PDF)(7 pp, 118 K)
• Bibliography (PDF)(13 pp, 195 K)