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Watershed Central: A New Interactive Management Tool

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EPA recently launched a new Web site called “Watershed Central” to help watershed organizations and other stakeholders find key information they need to implement watershed management decisions. The Watershed Central site includes guidance, tools, case studies and data resources that integrate EPA programs to help users share information, analyze data, and initiate or strengthen their own watershed efforts.

Background

Image: A cross-section of a watershed.
A cross-section of a watershed

A watershed is the entire geographical area that contributes water into a single outlet, typically a stream, lake, estuary or wetland. Watershed management addresses multiple environmental challenges. Some of these include urban issues of stormwater mitigation and drinking water and wastewater treatment; ecosystem issues of wetlands protection and forestry and fisheries protection; and industrial issues of mine water cleanup, confined-animal waste controls, and agricultural and land-use practices. These and other challenges are often interrelated, with cumulative effects on ecosystem resources, which, in turn, influence the options available for watershed management.

The passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 led to a variety of federal, state, local and tribal programs designed to restore and protect the water resources of the United States. These programs encompass every aspect of water management—from assessing and cataloging water quality stressors to developing remediation and control programs—each with its own specific guidance and management tools. With the development of broader, watershed-level approaches to environmental issues, the need became apparent for a more integrated approach to the tools and technologies needed to implement effective watershed management. What watershed managers needed was:

  • Access to up-to-date data
  • Known levels of uncertainty for decision making
  • Assessments that were understandable to a variety of stakeholders
  • Easy-to-use, inexpensive tools
  • Political and economic support

What technology and science could provide was:

  • Satellite and aerial data
  • Mapping and GIS tools
  • Economic and demographic prediction tools
  • Web access to models and monitoring tools
  • Statistical and information-sharing tools

Watershed Central

Watershed Central was developed to bridge the gap between user needs and the variety of resources offered by EPA and other groups. The result is an interactive Web-based resource that helps users locate the information they need, including environmental data, watershed models, guidance documents, nearby local organizations, technical resources and funding. A unique feature of Watershed Central is the “Watershed Central Wiki”—similar to Wikipedia—which allows registered users to submit case studies, tools, local approaches to watershed management, lessons learned and success stories. To ensure that user needs are met and information is up-to-date, three teams were established—a Content Team, a User Team and an Information Technology (IT) Team. Team members and participants are solicited from within and outside EPA. In addition, EPA has sponsored regional workshops where participants are introduced to Watershed Central and encouraged to collaborate on improving the information it contains. The Watershed Central teams and other participants use the wiki site as a forum for discussing and vetting information for inclusion on the Watershed Central public Web site.

Watershed Central is a cooperative development effort among EPA’s Office of Research and Development (National Risk Management Research Laboratory), Office of Water (Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds), and Office of Environmental Information. This growing and changing program is part of EPA’s ongoing commitment to the protection of human health and the environment.

Contact

Jane Ice, NRMRL Office of Public Affairs (513) 569-7311

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Hot Off the Presses—NRMRL Publications

Journal Articles Exit EPA Disclaimer

Agarwal, S., S. R. Al-Abed, and D. D. Dionysiou. (2008) “Magnesium-Based Corrosion Nano-Cells for Reductive Transformation of Contaminants.” Chapter 23, Nanotechnology Applications for Clean Water. William Andrew Publishing, Norwich, NY, 337–345.

Rees, G., I. Karunasagar, and J. W. Santo-Domingo. (2009) “Driving Forces and Risk Management.” Chapter 4, Safe Management of Shellfish and Harvest Waters. IWA Publishing, London, UK.

Choi, H. and S. R. Al-Abed. (2009) “PCB Congener Sorption to Carbonaceous Sediment Components: Macroscopic Comparison and Characterization of Sorption Kinetics and Mechanism.” Journal of Hazardous Materials. Elsevier BV, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 165(1-3):860–866.

Lytle, D. A., C. White, M. N. Nadagouda, and A. Worrall. (2009) “Crystal and Morphological Phase Transformation of Pb(II) to Pb(IV) in Chlorinated Water.” Journal of Hazardous Materials. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 165(1-3):1234–1238.

Nadagouda, M. N., V. Polshettiwar, and R. S. Varma. (2009) “Self-Assembly of Palladium Nanoparticles: Synthesis of Nanobelts, Nanoplates and Nanotrees Using Vitamin B1 and Their Application in Carbon-Carbon Coupling Reactions.” Journal of Materials Chemistry. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK, 19(14):2026–2031.

Wrenn, B. A., A. Virkus, B. Mukherjee, and A. D. Venosa. (2009) “Dispersability of Crude Oil in Fresh Water.” Environmental Pollution. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 157(6):1807–1814.

Wyrzykowska, B., D. G. Tabor, and B. K. Gullett. (2009) “Same-Sample Determination of Ultratrace Levels of Polybromodiphenylethers, Polybromodibenzo-p-dioxins/furans, and Polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins/furans from Combustion Flue Gas.” Analytical Chemistry. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 81(11):4434–4440.

EPA Published Reports

US EPA (2009) Chen, A. S., H. T. Shiao, and D L. Wang. “Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Adsorptive Media - U.S. EPA Demonstration Project at Taos, NM, Final Performance Evaluation Report (PDF).” (82 pp, 4.7 MB) EPA/600/R-09/014 | Abstract.

US EPA (2009) E.H. Pechan & Assoc., Springfield VA. “SPECIATE 4.2: Speciation Database Development Documentation (PDF).” (218 pp, 3.38 MB) EPA/600/R-09/038 | Abstract.

US EPA (2009) Feeney, C. S., S. Thayer, M. Bonomo, K. Martel, and D. Lai. “Condition Assessment of Wastewater Collection Systems - State of Technology Review Report (PDF).” (74 pp, 1.30 MB) EPA/600/R-09/049 | Abstract.

US EPA (2009) Guo, Z., X. Liu, K. A. Krebs, and N. F. Roache. “Perflourocarboxylic Acid Content in 116 Articles of Commerce (PDF).” (51 pp, 626 KB) EPA/600/R-09/033.

US EPA (2009) McCall, S. E., A. S. Chen, and T. J. Sorg. “Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Adsorptive Media - U.S. EPA Demonstration Project at Goffstown, NH, Final Performance Evaluation Report (PDF).” (67 pp, 6.0 MB) EPA/600/R-09/015.

US EPA (2009) Sterling, R., L. Wang, R. Morrison, and A. Selvakumar. “Rehabilitation of Wastewater Collection and Water Distribution Systems - State of Technology Review Report (PDF).” (92 pp, 1.09 MB) EPA/600/R-09/048 | Abstract.

US EPA (2009) The Cadmus Group, Inc. “Nutrient Control Design Manual: State of Technology Review Report (PDF).” (104 pp, 1.33 MB) EPA/600R-09/012 | Abstract.

Communication Products

US EPA (2009) Latham, M. “Water Resource Adaptation Program (PDF).” (2 pp, 1.4 MB) EPA/600/F-08/014.


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