Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters

Updates to Watershed Planning Handbook:

This handbook helps communities, watershed organizations, and environmental agencies develop and implement watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources, and should be particularly useful to organizations that work to restore impaired or threatened waters.

This handbook supplements 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.

• Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters (pdf) (13.2 MB, March 2008, EPA 841-B-08-002)
• Cover, Table of Contents & Acronyms & Abbreviations (pdf) (825.87 KB)
• Chapter 1. Introduction (pdf) (1.38 MB)
• Chapter 2: Overview of Watershed Planning Process (pdf) (2.33 MB)
• Chapter 3: Build Partnerships (pdf) (1.78 MB)
• Chapter 4: Define Scope of Watershed Planning Effort (pdf) (577.29 KB)
• Chapter 5: Gather Existing Data & Create an Inventory (pdf) (2.96 MB)
• Chapter 6. Identify Data Gaps and Collect Additional Data If Needed (pdf) (1.38 MB)
• Chapter 7. Analyze Data to Characterize the Watershed and Pollutant Sources (pdf) (1.9 MB)
• Chapter 8. Estimate Pollutant Loads (pdf) (2.81 MB)
• Chapter 9. Set Goals and Identify Load Reductions (pdf) (813.16 KB)
• Chapter 10. Identify Possible Management Strategies (pdf) (1.43 MB)
• Chapter 11. Evaluate Options and Select Final Management Strategies (pdf) (2.19 MB)
• Chapter 12. Design Implementation Program and Assemble Watershed Plan (pdf) (945.88 KB)
• Chapter 13. Implement Watershed Plan and Measure Progress (pdf) (872.77 KB)
• Appendix A: Resources (pdf) (588.72 KB)
• Appendix B: Worksheets (pdf) (350.03 KB)
• Appendix C: List of State Nonpoint Source and Watershed Planning Contacts (pdf) (157.87 KB)
• Glossary (pdf) (115.64 KB)
• Bibliography (pdf) (190.76 KB)

• Polluted Runoff: NPS Pollution Home
• Basic Information
• Types of NPS Pollution
• Success Stories
• Using a Watershed Approach
• Webinars
• Technical Guidance and Tools
• Nonpoint Source News-Notes
• NPSINFO Discussion Forum
• National NPS Monitoring Program
• Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments (CZARA)
• Grants Reporting and Tracking System (GRTS)
• 319 Grant program for States and Territories
• Tribal 319 Grant Program
• Contacts for NPS Programs
• Resources for Students and Educators