Identifying and Protecting Healthy Watersheds

Concepts, Assessments, and Management Approaches

           

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This technical document was developed to help implement the Healthy Watersheds Initiative (HWI) by providing EPA and state water quality and aquatic resource scientists and managers with an overview of the key concepts behind the HWI, examples of approaches for assessing components of healthy watersheds, integrated assessment options for identifying healthy watersheds, examples of management approaches, and some assessment tools and sources of data. This document summarizes the many examples from across the country of state, local government, and others efforts to assess, identify, and protect healthy watersheds by understanding their systems context. This document can assist in those efforts and also serve as a resource for other states and their partners interested in conducting healthy watersheds assessments and implementing holistic, systems-based healthy watersheds protection programs.

The links below present the entire draft document, which is divided into seven sections with downloadable PDF files for each. You may view or download each file by clicking on its link.

"Identifying and Protecting Healthy Watersheds: Concepts, Assessments, and Management Approaches” (Technical Document)

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Note: The full document is a very large file that may take a long time to download. The individual sections of the full document are much smaller files that will open quicker. Opening the smaller files is the recommended viewing method. Another option is to right click on the files, save them to your computer, and then open them.

Identifying and Protecting Healthy Watersheds: Concepts, Assessments, and Management Approaches (Complete Technical Document) (PDF) (296 pp, 99.5K)

• Front Cover, Disclaimer, Table of Contents, Figures, Tables, Acronyms & Abbreviations, Memo from EPA Management, Acknowledgements (PDF) (20 pp, 3.9MB)
• Chapter 1: Introduction (PDF) (8 pp, 646K)
• Chapter 2: Key Concepts and Assessment Approaches (PDF) (34 pp, 8.5MB)
• Chapter 3: Examples of Assessment Approaches (PDF) (84 pp, 61MB)
• Chapter 4: Healthy Watersheds Integrated Assessments (PDF) (66 pp, 23MB)
• Chapter 5: Management Approaches (PDF) (48 pp, 4.7MB)
• References, Acronyms & Abbreviations, Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, and Back Cover (PDF) (50 pp, 684K)

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