ABSTRACT
The watershed management process offers a ray of hope in controlling and preventing pollution and restoring water quality. Watershed management based on the fourstep process promotes resource outcomes versus the traditional administrative-based management. The goal of the effort switches to attaining designated use instead of program execution. The evaluation measures for the watershed effort are biological, chemical, and physical based not just on administrative actions. The institutional results for agencies involved in watershed management are programs and tools to improve the environment. The administrative actions are evaluated against changes in environmental indicators and conditions rather than improved timelineness and reduced backlogs in administrative actions. Depending on its outcome, the process will either put solutions in place or serve as a stepping stone in the adaptive management cycle to control this omnipresent water-quality issue. Adaptive management involves adjusting management direction as new information becomes available. It requires a willingness on the behalf of the partnership and funding entities to experience failure. Since watershed management efforts are based on the analysis of available information, adequate monitoring is needed. Adaptive management partnerships can focus on and correct specific problems.
