The "Why Watersheds?" Report

Managing water resource programs on a watershed basis makes good sense—environmentally, financially, and socially. But in the 1990s when EPA increasingly promoted a watershed approach as the way to implement the Clean Water Act for best results, this was a new and unfamiliar message to many people. "Why?" was a common question, and thus EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds produced the Why Watersheds? report in 1996 to provide some answers.

This document specifically addresses the common reasons why a watershed approach makes sense, not only in general but also specifically in relation to requirements that states and others need to meet under the Clean Water Act. The document also lists a considerable number of federal grant opportunities, watershed reports, training opportunities, and program contacts. Although its older date implies that an occasional phone number or contact person may have changed or a program guidance may have been updated, the basic message of the document—why it is worthwhile to take a watershed approach in managing our environment—remains intact.