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Land Use and Watershed Management
Up one levelWhat is Watershed Management?
Watershed management is a proactive approach that coordinates land use and water management decisions to protect water resources and help communities define and prioritize local needs in relation to regional issues and goals.
Watersheds maintain the health of forests, fisheries, wetlands, coastal resources, agricultural landscapes, habitat and local communities in California. Protecting watersheds ensures a sustainable environment that supports recreational activities and a healthy economy that makes California a desirable place to live.
Keeping watersheds healthy is important for the same reasons as keeping our bodies healthy; once they begin to deteriorate, vital functions are lost and their condition steadily worsens.
When a watershed is degraded, a degenerative cycle unfolds. The watershed becomes less resilient, less stable and less productive. At a point, the watershed’s health is so diminished that it no longer maintains the natural processes and services we depend on.
Resources:
- Land Use and Watersheds Fact Sheet
- First Stop Shop for Water Resources
- Our Built and Natural Environments
- This US EPA publication summarizes the research on the relationship between the built and natual environments, as well as current understanding of the role of development patterns, urban design and transportation in improving environmental quality.
- Smart Growth for Clean Water Report
- This report, produced by the Trust for Public Land and the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP), identifies five smart growth approaches that can improve water quality: land conservation, waterfront brownfields revitalization, urban and community forestry, low impact development, and watershed management
- National LID Clearinghouse
- This website has been developed through a Cooperative Assistance Agreement under the US EPA Office of Water 104b(3) Program in order to provide a web-based clearinghouse that allows researchers, practitioners, and program managers to collaborate and efficiently disseminate and share information with local governments, states, builders, developers, stakeholders, and environmental groups. The administrative and technical information available through this clearinghouse will be useful to permit writers, local government officials, watershed managers, and stakeholders.
- North Coast Storm Water Coalition
- The Coalition's goal is to facilitate the prevention of storm water pollution in Humboldt County by educating residents about stormwater runoff and its effects on water quality in local streams, rivers, Humboldt Bay and the ocean.
- MIT Stormwater Biofiltration System
- MIT mitigates stormwater runoff through a biofiltration system that includes vegetated swales and underground reservoir.
- Water Resources Education
- University of Wisconsin Extension web site that serves as a gateway to educational programs and publications
- Choices for Growth: Quality of life and the natural environment
- A publication of Texas NEMO and others that discusses and displays the three strategies for a healthy environment: preserving open space, encouraging compact growth, and controlling urban stormwater runoff.
- Truckee Meadows Regional Stormwater Quality Management Plan
- TMRSQMP is a collaborative effort of the cities of Reno, Sparks and Washoe County. This site includes handbooks on construction site BMPs, low impact development, and structural controls design.
Workshops on Linking Water and Land Use in California