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UNPROTECTED WATERSHEDS taro. Although there are reasonable legal grounds for claiming such authority under the National Park Service Organic Act,' the reach of this authority has not been tested, and the Park Service confronts seri- ous political obstacles to doing so. Hence, the Park Service has promulgated no regulations to avoid impairment of park resources from activities on park watershed lands that extend beyond park boundaries. As a result, park managers must rely on a com- plex patchwork of federal and state regulatory pro- grams that were not specifically designed to protect parks or their waters. These programs, however, often set weak standards of protection, demand extensive development of data, and fail to require the kind of comprehensive watershed planning and man- agement that could protect downstream park waters. As a result, they do not provide the Park Service with the authorities or tools needed to address the individ- ual or cumulative threats presented by myriad activi- ties on park watershed lands. Because of a lack of adequate notice require- ments, for example, park managers often are unaware of activities that could harm park waters until they are underway. Similarly, the Park Service often lacks, or has only tenuous legal authority, even to inspect, much less control, the activities from which threats arise. Even measures designed to provide a high level of protection for park waters, such as the Environ- mental Protection Agency's (EPA) antidegradation regulation for "outstanding National resource waters," have often not been interpreted or enforced to com- pel careful management of park watersheds. Moreover, even where available regulatory tools may provide a basis for challenging potentially dam- aging activities, effective protective action by the Park Service usually requires support from upper echelons of the Department of the Interior. Unfortunately, the needed support often is not forthcoming. To the con- trary, internal policies in the Department of the Interior have tended to discourage park managers NPCA RECOMMENDATIONS: Park boundaries should be drawn or adjusted to include critical watershed lands wherever these steps are feasible and will significantly enhance protection of park waters. Furthermore, the Park Service should be entitled to notice and consultation about any activity on park watershed lands-.that may affect park waters. Any federally-permitted or federally-assisted activity should be modified #o the extent necessary to avoid impairment of park water quality or park water rights. Congress Should: T. Expand existing parks, and draw the boundaries of new parks, to include critical watershed lands ~~ " wherever those steps are feasible and will significantly" enhance the ability of the Park Service to protect -:park waters. 2. ]tequire all federal agencies managing lands within a park's watershed to ensure that their management plans~ft7r those lands are consistent with the protection of park waters and water-related resources from impairment. 3. Far any aefivity proposed on park watershed lands that could affect park waters and involving federal " funds or authorization, require that the Park Service be given reasonable notice and opportunity to assess potential impacts on park waters. Where the Park Service determines that an activity is likely to impair water quality or.diminish the quantity of water protected under a park's water right, require the responsi- ble federal agency to modify that activity to avoid impairment of park waters. 4. For any activity proposed on park watershed lands that could affect park waters and not involving fed- eral funds or authorization, require that the Park Service be given reasonable notice, opportunity to assess potential impacts on park waters and opportunity to identify the actions needed to avoid impairment of ;park water quality or water rights. 16