Course Description
Gain an understanding of the watershed planning process, new tools, and design practices.
This topic will provide an overview of the watershed planning approach in accordance with the U.S. EPAs Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters being used by agencies, watershed groups, conservation groups, and municipalities. Watershed planning process includes protecting and restoring rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, and coastal waters and can encompass agricultural, urban, and mixed land use. Strategies for watershed planning and implementation have evolved since the U.S. EPA Handbook was released in 2008, to include enhancement in geospatial and modeling tools for planning, assessment, implementation, and measuring progress. Watershed planning is used in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) programs, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process, transportation agencies, natural resources agencies, agricultural agencies, wastewater and drinking water utilities, and others involved in managing the use of surface waters. If you want to gain knowledge of the watershed planning process, new tools and approaches to planning and implementation, lessons learned from sustainable design practices, how to track progress, and funding resources available for watershed management, then this information is for you.
Audience
This live webinar is designed for engineers, construction and project managers, public works and utilities directors, presidents, vice presidents, environmental professionals, business owners and managers, developers, planners, contractors, property owners and managers, architects and attorneys.
Agenda
Overview and General Applicability of the Planning Process
� U.S. EPA's Nine Key Elements for Watershed Plans
� Applicability to Drinking Water, Storm Water, TMDLs, and Other Issues
� Importance of Sound Science, Partnerships, and Cooperative Action
Assessing the Watershed's Land Use, Land Cover, and Hydrology
� Point Sources and Nonpoint Sources of Water Pollution
� Impacts of Land Use, Land Cover, and Land Management on Water Resources
� How Waterbody Type Affects Pollutant Collection, Transport, and Impacts
� Data Sources for Assessing Rivers, Lakes, Streams, Wetlands, and Coastal Waters
Identifying Appropriate Pollutant Reduction Strategies
� Estimating Pollutant Loads and Identifying Load Reduction Targets
� Types of Pollutant Management Practices and How They Work
Implementing Green Infrastructure Strategies
� Prioritizing and Targeting Default Landscape Typologies
� Why Early Planning of Site-Specific Design Is Important to Successful Implementation
� How Green Infrastructure Can Connect People to the Watershed
� Funding and Other Resources for Implementing Watershed Plans
Geographic Information Management Strategies
� Mapping Tools That Support Watershed Management
� Tracking Performance Measures for Decision Making Processes
� How Information Management Strategies Support Collaborative Partnerships
Adapting Selected Management Practices
� Integrating Watershed Management With Other Regulatory and Nonregulatory Issues
� Storm Water (MS4), Chlorides, NPDES (Point-Source), Nutrients, Environmental Justice
� Adjusting Your Approach