Clean Water Action Plan Report

A federal clean water action plan has been released by the Environmental Protection Agency and U. S. Department of Agriculture establishing a framework of cooperation for federal and state agencies, tribes and the public to work together to address clean water issues. The plan was developed by five federal departments in response to the 25th anniversary of the Clean Water Act of 1972 and a request from Vice-president Gore to take note of what has been accomplished in 25 years, and what still needs to be done. The federal departments include the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Interior, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The plan presents a framework from approximately 130 key actions, some with short-term deadlines. One action in particular, the unified watershed assessment, requests federal and state environmental agencies, tribes and the public to develop a unified watershed assessment, including:

• identifying watersheds that need restoration,
• identifying watersheds that need protection,
• identifying pristine or sensitive watersheds on federal lands that need protection.

The plan includes a fiscal year 1999 budget initiative to increase funding for clean water programs by some $600 million nationwide. These moneys would be targeted to those watersheds identified as needing restoration in the unified watershed assessment. Two meetings were held to move forward with the plan. The first one was held on June 15, 1998 in Davis, California. At this meeting, executives discussed the overall plan and how to proceed. A second meeting of the USDA state technical committee to specifically address the unified watershed assessment took place on June 18, 1998, at the Woodland Hotel in Woodland, California.

Copies of the plan are available on the Internet at:
http://www.epa.govcleanwater/ or
http:/ www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/cleanwater/