Watershed Web Resources

Click on the link to the right 

Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB) protects ground and surface water quality in the Los Angeles Region, including the Arroyo Seco.  Their Watershed Management Initiative (WMI). is designed to integrate surface and ground water regulatory programs while promoting cooperative, collaborative efforts within a watershed. It is also designed to focus on key issues and use sound science..
US EPA Watershed Handbook

The EPA Watershed Handbook (400-plus pages) provides detailed information to assist all manner of watershed planners, and others whose work intersects with watershed planning issues, on virtually all aspects of the watershed planning process. The emphasis is on the nonpoint source water quality aspects of watersheds, but much of the information is more broadly applicable.

River Network's Understanding the Clean Water Act

Are you interested in learning how to use the Clean Water Act to protect your watershed? Would you like to learn about particular Clean Water Act programs or tools? Do you need solutions to problems in your watershed?

Streamkeepers - Adopt A Stream Foundation The Streamkeepers teach people to become stewards of their watersheds through Environmental Education and Habitat Restoration. The long term goal of AASF is to ensure the protection and care of streams in Washington by encouraging schools, community groups, sports clubs, civic organizations and individuals to adopt their streams, and to become Streamkeepers.
Audubon At Home This wonderful webpage web page put together by the Audobon Society and Natural Resources Conservation Service outlines what people can do at home to promote watershed health.
Save Our Streams The Isaak Walton League has developed highly effective tools to educate volunteers how to monitor streams, stabilize streambanks and address changes in their watersheds. 

Water Drop Patch Project

This is the education program developed by the USEPA and the Girl Scouts for Watershed Education.

Give Water a Hand With Give Water A Hand, young people team up with educators, natural resource experts and committed community members to study water issues and take ACTION!
River Restoration Resource Center American Rivers has created this resource center to provide tools for the growing number of stream restoration activities and the growing body of river restoration science across the nation and abroad. 
California Watershed Network Mission Statement: To help people protect and restore the natural environments of California watersheds while ensuring healthy and sustainable communities.
California Watershed Information

California watershed resources by theme: 
    Watershed Planning
    Assessment and Monitoring
    Restoration
    Networking - Points of Contact
    Regulatory, Legal, and Permitting Information
    Education and Training Opportunities
    Funding

Los Angeles San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council LASGRWC works to facilitate a comprehensive, multi-purpose, stakeholder driven consensus process to preserve, restore, and enhance the many beneficial uses, economic, social, environmental and biological, of the Los Angeles River and San Gabriel River watersheds eco-system through education, research, planning, and mediation.
Know Your Watershed 

Purdue University presents a great site that Includes a national watershed library and lots of resources and watershed guides --
  Building Local Partnerships
  Getting to Know Your Watershed
  Leading & Communicating
  Managing Conflict
  Putting Together a Watershed Plan
  Reflecting on Lakes
  Wetlands: A Key Link in Watershed Management
  Groundwater & Surface Water: Understanding the Interaction 

Managing Arid and Semi-Arid Watersheds

Here's an excellent site on the management of watersheds in the Southwest from the University of Arizona.

LA County Watershed Management The County Department of Public Works implements watershed management County-wide to improve the overall quality of life for residents of Los Angeles County.
L.A. River Maintenance Manual This manual provides guidelines for the care and replacement of existing facilities along the Los Angeles River Corridor.

TMDLS.NET

A semi-private web site dedicated to a "watershed approach" to TMDLs.

Caltrans Stormwater Management Program With its statewide Storm Water Management Program, Caltrans is helping to prevent the adverse effects of storm water runoff from Caltrans roadways and facilities. This Program provides a comprehensive effort to preserve and improve water quality in California.
Center for Watershed Protection The Center for Watershed Protection provides local governments, activists, and watershed organizations around the country with the technical tools for protecting streams, lakes and rivers.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA enforces federal clean water and safe drinking water laws, provides support for municipal wastewater treatment plants, and takes part in pollution prevention efforts aimed at protecting watersheds and sources of drinking water. 
The River Network The River Network helps people understand, protect and restore rivers and their watersheds.
The Stormwater Manager's Resource Center This site is designed specifically for stormwater practitioners, local government officials and others who need technical assistance on stormwater management issues. Created and maintained by the Center for Watershed Protection, the SMRC provides information and tools about stormwater.
City of Los Angeles Watershed Protection Here's the site of the Stormwater Management Program of the City of Los Angeles.
Arroyo Seco Watershed Restoration This is the homepage for the Arroyo Seco Watershed Restoration Program.  It contains links to the Restoration Feasibility Study, news and lots of handy tools.
State Water Resources Control Board A key goal of SWRCB is to provide water resource protection, enhancement, and restoration while balancing economic and environmental impacts. This is done using an integrated planning approach called watershed management. 
  Wild on Watersheds

This is the watershed management website of the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts.

National Watershed Forum

The National Watershed Forum was an unprecedented event designed to give voice to geographically, politically, and culturally diverse individuals that worked together to develop recommendations for advancing watershed protection and restoration.

Adopt Your Watershed  This EPA site has lots of great ways to get involved in protecting your watershed.
Watershed Management International The World Bank provides this useful site with an international prespective.
USGS Watershed Management The United States Geological Survey provides excellent information in watershed management including some historical data and management tools.

CA State Watershed Programs and Partnership

The Joint Task Force on California Watershed Management assists in the planning and execution of the State's Watershed Management plan. It has prepared a report to the legislature on the current status of watershed management in California. 

EPA Watershed Approach Framework

The framework for watershed management from EPA.

Watershed Stewards

The Watershed Stewardship Education Program trains Master Watershed Stewards who will serve their communities by completing a project with assistance from Oregon State University  Extension, resource agencies or watershed councils, and becoming "points of contact" for their communities.  A model for grassroots involvement.

International Glossary of Hydrology

Lots of definitions in many languages to help you understand the language of water.

HELP: Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy

HELP is a joint initiative of the United Nations Educational Scientific Organization (UNESCO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).  HELP is creating a new approach to integrated catchment management through the creation of a framework for water law and policy experts, water resource managers and water scientists to work together on water-related problems.

National River Restoration Science Synthesis Project

The National River Restoration Science Synthesis Project is a unique undertaking by a team of eminent freshwater scientists and American Rivers that will evaluate the state of river restoration in the United States - what is being done, what is 'working' from an environmental and conservation perspective, and what the costs and benefits are for various types of projects. 

Federal Highway Administration Stormwater Best Management Practices

The Federal Highway Administration’s recommended practices for stormwater management are available online.  “Stormwater BMP’s for Ulta-Urban Settings.”  You can also find information on porous pavement at:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/ultraurb/uubmp3p6.htm

New Strategies for America’s Watersheds

This 1999 report from the Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources of the National Academies says that the current patchwork of federal, state, and local regulations does not protect watersheds in an integrated way; a more systems-oriented perspective would improve water resources that have been degraded by pollution.

EPA's Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection

The website provides information for watershed practitioners and others on 84 Federal funding sources that may be available to help fund various watershed-related projects.

Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute

The Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute (UFEI) was developed by the Natural Resources Management Department of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to address the increasing need for improved management of the urban forests in California.

UC Cooperative Extension Watershed Toolbox

Here's a toolbox of watershed resources from the University of California Cooperative Extension program to guide the process of forming a watershed group, getting the public interested, writing a watershed management plan, and carrying out projects in your watershed.

Clean Water Alliance

This group is working to clean up urban runoff, Southern California’s number one source of water pollution. After every rain, the region’s beaches can look like trash dumps, and many are unsafe for swimming. Polluted runoff is also toxic to marine life. Unsurprisingly, these problems threaten southern California’s billion-dollar coastal tourism economy.  Find out how you can help by checking out their website.

Coastal Resource Directory

This directory from the California Coastal Commission details educational resources and programs, volunteer opportunities and internship possibilities in California that address marine, coastal and watershed topics.

Aging Watershed Infrastructure

Over 11,000 dams in 47 states have been built since 1948.  Many of these dams are nearing the end of their 50-year design life.  Rehabilitation of these dams is needed to address critical public health and safety issues in these communities.  This site provides background and case studies of rehabilitation needs of watershed dams across the nation.

Clean Water Team Citizen Monitoring Program

Here's a great site from the California Water Resources Control Board that has lots of resources for citizen-based water quality monitoring programs.