Water Quality Division

WQ Planning

Planning and developing projects requires a multifaceted approach essential to an effective Nonpoint Source Pollution Program. A fundamental component of the program is the NPS Management Program Plan. The Plan organizes current and future efforts while providing guidance to participating agencies. For each project, numerous reports are also written to fulfill EPA guidelines and track project planning and implementation. In general this is how project planning progresses:

1. The NPS Working Group selects a priority watershed for a restoration project.
   
   
2. The OCC works with local groups and peer agencies to draft a Watershed Based Plan according to EPA guidance that details all aspects of the project, including goals, partners, staff, budget, and timelines. As a portion of the watershed based plan, OCC uses a water quality model such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to estimate areas in the watershed contributing most significantly to water quality problems.
   
   
3. The OCC Water Quality Division then drafts a Work Plan, which details what actions will be carried out specifically by the Water Quality Division. The plan is sent to the EPA for review and approval.
   
   
4. Upon approval of the Work Plan by EPA, OCC contracts with a university to perform Source Water Assessment Targeting (SWAT) to gather detailed information such as land use, land cover, and population in the watershed. SWAT data are included in the final Watershed Based Plan.
   
   
5. The OCC submits a Quality Assurance Project Plan to EPA that details how each component of the project, such as monitoring and education, will be implemented.
   
   
6. Monitoring begins or continues in the watershed to assess the effects of the implementation.
   
   
7. Project planning begins at the local level with Conservation Districts and other stakeholders forming a Watershed Advisory Group and Educational Watershed Advisory Group. The groups determine how the project and education program will be implemented at the local level.
   
   
8. As landowners in the watershed express interest in the project, plans for the implementation of specific practices–such as farm plans or engineering designs–are written. Farm plans detail each property and the type and location of best management practices to be installed and maintained for the duration of the contract. Engineering designs are drafted for activities such as streambank stabilization or nonconventional agricultural best management practices.
   
   
9. Landowners and land managers in the watershed begin to implement best management practices.