New Strategies for America's Watersheds (1999) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Summary
Summary
Pages 1-12
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 1... ...
The watershed approach acknowledges linkages between uplands and downstream areas, and between surface and ground water, and reduces the chances that attempts to solve problems in one realm will cause problems in others. Watershed management is an integrative way of thinking about all the various human activities that occur on a given area of land (the watershed)
|
From page 2... ...
Government and private sponsors gave the National Research Council's Committee on Watershed Management three tasks: investigate the present state of knowledge about watershed management, investigate representative examples of the application of the approach, and identify barriers to successful implementation of such approaches and means for overcoming them. The committee pursued its work based on the idea that watersheds of all sizes, ranging from small local drainages to large river basins, were part of the charge.
|
From page 3... ...
The various levels of government in the United States developed historically with specific authorities and powers, and most governmental entities are unlikely to give up those powers to some larger all-encompassing organization. In addition, large federal agencies defined by their topical missions (flood control for the Army Corps of Engineers and water management and delivery for the Bureau of Reclamation)
|
From page 4... ...
We then offer conclusions addressing a range of issues connected to integrating ecological, social, and economic approaches to watershed management. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT Congress and the President have an historic opportunity to enhance sustainability of resources and the economy through improved watershed management by reauthorizing the Clean Water Act.
|
From page 5... ...
Integrated thinking must be articulated in the reauthorized Clean Water Act. The Act should allow bottom-up development of watershed agencies that respond to local problems rather than having a rigid institutional structure imposed upon them from the federal level.
|
From page 6... ...
5. Scientific and technical peer review of watershed improvement activities conducted by qualified independent professionals can provide objective evaluations of their impact.
|
From page 7... ...
Because water is a strategic national resource and sustainable use of water resources is a national priority, watershed management decisions must be based on the best possible science. More research is needed to provide the data, knowledge, and technology necessary to support effective watershed management, especially work focused on integrating social, economic, and ecological elements.
|
From page 8... ...
The Federal Geographic Data Committee, as the organization charged with primary responsibility for establishing the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, should assume a leadership role in establishing a capability for collecting spatial data on watersheds by creating national data standards, designating a central clearinghouse, and maintaining a single national watershed database. Other
|
From page 9... ...
As the U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other federal and nonfederal organizations engaged in collecting watershed data evaluate their monitoring sites, they should prioritize the remaining sites to ensure continuation of sites that are most effective in helping managers understand water quality trends.
|
From page 10... ...
No single model could fit with all the existing governmental arrangements found at the state and local levels, and it would be a mistake to impose a standard model from the federal level. Second, fragmentation of responsibility and lack of clarity about how to resolve disputes caused by conflicting missions among federal agencies inhibits the success of the watershed approach.
|
From page 11... ...
Watershed management activities can range from hands-on guidance to farmers about how to control n~noffto multistate initiatives like those underway to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Watershed management has taken on a large, complex meaning.
|
From page 12... ...
A spring-fed creek in Cunningham Falls State Park, Maryland, makes its way through a forested watershed in the Catoctin Mountains. Credit: USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.