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The six steps in the Watershed Planning Process: 1) build partnerships, 2) characterize your watershed, 3) finalize goals and identify solutions, 4) design an implementation plan, 5) implement the watershed plan, and 6) measure progress and make adjustments.

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Basis for This Module

In this module you will learn about the framework needed to conduct a successful watershed planning effort. The basis for this framework is built around the six steps of watershed planning that are discussed in detail in the Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters. The Handbook provides information on the processes and tools to quantify existing pollutant loads, develop estimates of load reductions needed to meet water quality criteria, and identify the practices that need to be implemented to achieve those reductions. This module provides a basic overview of the concepts presented in the Handbook.

An additional goal of the Handbook (and this module) is to show how the 9 elements presented in the Clean Water Act section 319 grant guidelines are used to develop watershed plans and to show where they fit within the six steps of the watershed planning process. The nine elements are the components of the watershed planning process that EPA feels are critical to preparing effective watershed plans to address nonpoint source pollution.

If your water resource management goals deal with point sources of pollution (those with discharge pipes and permits), drinking water protection, protecting critical habitats, or other issues, there might be other key elements in addition to these described above.

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Section 4 of 43