Nonpoint Source Watershed Workshop

The Nonpoint Source Watershed Workshop was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 29-31, 1991. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Center for Environmental Research Information, Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Assessment and Watershed Protection Division of the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, Washington, D.C. A total of 183 people, representing a broad spectrum of individuals involved in watershed management and planning and the control of nonpoint source water pollution, participated in the workshop. The workshop effectively combined formal presentations and small workgroup sessions to facilitate the exchange of information relating to the development and implementation of nonpoint source pollution control projects. In particular, the restoration and protection of water quality on a watershed basis was emphasized. The papers that were presented at the workshop are included in this document (Section Two). Ten topic areas were addressed: Water Quality Problem Identification in Priority Watersheds; Developing Goals and Objectives for Watershed Projects; Designing Institutional Arrangements that Work; Developing the Watershed Plan; Site Planning and Selection of Nonpoint Source Controls; Developing a Monitoring System; Building Successful Technology Transfer Programs; Planning and Implementing an Effective Information and Education Program; Evaluating a Nonpoint Source Watershed Implementation Project; Innovative State and Local Regulatory Programs that Support Local Nonpoint Source Projects. Presentions addressed watershed management in both urban and rural settings. To complement the presentation of papers, the workshop also included an opportunity for participants to apply watershed management techniques to actual nonpoint source pollution problems. Section Three of this document includes the case studies used at the workshop, questions that were used to guide the discussions, and a summary of conclusions that were reached. In small group settings for each case study, attendees discussed the problems and developed potential solutions to watershed problems from the following locations: Urban Setting - Barnstable, Massachusetts; Eastern Agricultural Setting - Grove Lake, Minnesota; Western Agricultural Setting - Otter Creek, Utah; Forestry Setting - South Fork Salmon River, Idaho. The use of formal presentations and case study discussions proved to be an effective technology transfer format. By intertwining small group sessions through the program, participants were given the opportunity to apply watershed management concepts described during the presentations to actual problem situations. The vast majority of the attendees agreed that this format added greatly to the effectiveness of the workshop.