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WHPA developed seventeen Watershed
Restoration Action Strategies (WRAS) for
the Indiana Department of Environmental
Management (IDEM). Watershed Restoration Action Strategies are used to allocate federal funds
for improvement of targeted watersheds. A WRAS
serves as a reference document for watershed
groups and others involved in the assessment and
planning of watershed restoration.
WRAS documents are built on existing programs and initiatives, as well as the programs of the Watershed Management Section, which administers the Nonpoint Source (NPS) program. The WRAS contains a detailed description of the watershed and a discussion on the causes and sources of water pollution. It also covers strategies based on State and Federal water quality programs aimed at reducing NPS pollution and the establishment of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) limits in the watershed.
Stakeholder involvement is key to a successful
WRAS, so WHPA encouraged local participation in the watershed planning and
held local watershed meetings in communities
throughout the state. WHPA developed the WRAS
documents using web-based tools so that IDEM
Watershed Management Section staff could
monitor progress, make suggestions and approve
development in real time. This also provided the general public with direct access to the draft
documents as they became available for
comment.
Please visit the following site for more information on this project:
Martha Clark-Mettler • Deputy Assistant Commissioner •
Office of Water Quality • Indiana Department of Environmental Management
100 N Senate Avenue • Indianapolis, IN 46204 • (317) 232-8603 • mclark@idem.in.gov