On March 29, 2011, EPA released the Coming Together for Clean Water strategy as the framework for guiding the Agency's implementation efforts and actions to meet the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan objectives for protecting and restoring our waters. One of the key areas of the Agency's strategy is to Increase Protection of Healthy Waters, including healthy watersheds. This Healthy Watersheds Initiative (HWI) National Framework and Action Plan outlines a new approach for how EPA will meet this objective. The approach provided in this document is a recommendation that does not replace existing laws or regulations or impose binding requirements on EPA or the states in implementing partnerships to protect healthy watersheds.