|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Watershed
Assessment
The first step in any watershed
planning approach involves accurately characterizing current pollution and
habitat problems in a watershed. An accurate watershed assessment is to necessary to establish a baseline, or current condition,
which will be used to judge the success of future watershed management efforts.
Unfortunately, watershed assessment and monitoring often involves complex data collection and analysis techniques that can require substantial investments of time and resources. Local communities often lack the resources and expertise to undertake these complex tasks, yet need accurate information on watershed and stream conditions. As a starting point, this section highlights some of the rapid assessment methods that can be undertaken relatively cheaply and easily while producing timely, useable information. Included is an example of how one urban/suburban county in Maryland incorporated a field stream assessment.
Tools You Can Use
- Vulnerability Analysis: The Watershed Vulnerability Analysis (document in .pdf format) provides guidance on delineating subwatersheds, estimating current and future impervious cover, and identifying factors that would alter the initial classification of individual subwatersheds. This technical release outlines a basic eight-step process for creating a rapid watershed plan for either a large watershed or jurisdiction.
- Example of Watershed Assessment (St.Mary's County, MD): This assessment of an urban/suburban watershed in St. Mary's County, MD illustrates the use of both a field stream assessment and current and future impervious cover as watershed planning tools.
- Retrofit Assessment: "Eight Steps to Stormwater Retrofitting" outlines the eight steps of performing a retrofit inventory, which involves examining existing stormwater management practices and pinpointing locations that might benefit from additional practices. Details on retrofit implementation are included.
- RSAT: The Rapid Stream Assessment Technique (RSAT) was developed by John Galli at Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to allow watershed managers to perform a simple, rapid reconnaissance-level assessment of stream quality conditions. Read about how the RSAT system works in this .pdf document.
Be sure to check out the Monitor/Assess section of the Stormwater Managers Resource Center for a wealth of other technical information on stream assessment techniques.