1998 Work Plan of the Western States Water Council

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4. WATERSHED PLANNING Work to date: Local watershed initiatives have multiplied across the West over the past several years, many of which deal with water quality. The Council, along with the WGA, began considering this phenomenon in the early 1990s in connection with a series of workshops. :Much work has been done to examine various aspects of these local initiatives. Last year, the EPA. Region VIII, asked the WGA to prepare a report on how interested states can encourage watershed efforts, including sources available to states to assist them. The WGA subsequently requested the Council to prepare this report. 1998: The Council will have completed the State Watershed Strategy Guidebook by the end of 1997. Numerous programs and approaches will have been reviewed. Committee members will review and provide comments on the draft. These will be incorporated by the staff in the final report due March 30, 1998. The Council will provide a forum on state experience with watershed initiatives through continued discussion of watershed issues, program success and failures, and approaches. Estimated work days: Guidebook Completion - 9 Reporting - 1 Time frame: January - March 5. SECTION 401 OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT Work to date: The Council has been working for some time to enhance and protect the states' scope of authority under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, most notably in the united position expressed before the Supreme Court in favor of Washington's position before the Supreme Court in the Tacoma case, and efforts to protect that holding against efforts to weaken it in the last Congress. Section 401 provides states the opportunity to certify proposed actions for water quality standards compliance that require a federal permit or license. This authority has been recently expanded in a court decision in Oregon to include non -point sources of pollution, with significant potential implications for state regulating agencies and the regulating community. 1998: The Committee will follow efforts to weaken 401 of the hydropower industry, and work with the WGA to counter such efforts. Further, the Committee will receive reports and analyses on the progress of the decision now on appeal regarding the scope of 401 relative to non -point sources. If upheld, the Committee will provide a forum for discussion of the implications of the decision and how states intend to deal with these implications. These will be summarized for future reference Estimated work days: Congressional 401 Efforts - 3 Report on Non -point Source Implications - 7 Time frame: Congressional efforts - ongoing Report - July - November 5