A watershed is the area of land that drains to a stream or river. It consist of land where water collects, extending from ridges down to the topographic low points where the water drains into a river, bay, ocean, or other water body. A watershed includes surface water, groundwater, and all of their surrounding landscapes. Watersheds transcend political, social, and economic boundaries so it is important to engage all affected communities in designing and implementing goals for the watershed to protect water quality. Groups formed to create watershed action plans can include representatives from all levels of government, public interest groups, industry, academic institutions, private landowners, concerned citizens and many others.

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Watershed management is a strategy for protecting water quality in all water bodies by looking at all the components that make up a watershed area, including the natural environment, water supply, land uses and their effects on drainage, wastewater collection and discharges, and the ways humans interact with the water bodies. Tasks in a watershed action plan could include a wide range of actions, such as:

• Improving coordination between regulatory and permitting agencies

• Increasing citizen participation in watershed planning activities

• Improving public education on water quality and protection issues

• Enforcing current regulations on a more consistent and prioritized basis.

The water quality of many of our water bodies continues to be degraded from pollutants discharged from non-point sources and from the collective impacts of many urban runoff sights. This degradation persists despite successful pollutant reduction efforts and the regulation of municipal and industrial wastewater point source discharges. Watershed management represents a shift from the approach that focuses on regulation of point sources to a more regional approach that acknowledges environmental impacts from all activities, and prioritizes regulation of these activities with input from and consideration for all affected local governments and communities.