National Water Program Agenda 19971998
MEMORANDUM
TO: National Water Program
FROM: Bob Perciasepe; Assistant Administrator
SUBJECT: National Water Program Agenda 19971998
The year 1997 will include some important milestones for the National
Water Program. It is the year that we will mark the 25th anniversary
of the 1972 Clean Water Act and the beginning of the new Safe
Drinking Water Act amendments of 1996. In addition, EPA's leadership
is entering a second term management continuity that
is unprecedented in EPA history.
Everyone working to make our waters clean and safe to drink can
be proud of a remarkable record of steady progress over the past
two decades in improving the quality of surface waters and drinking
waters for all Americans.
·The quality of our waters has improved dramatically as a
result of a cooperative effort by Federal, State, and local governments
to implement the pollution control programs established in the
Clean Water Act.
·We have laid a foundation of basic public health standards
for drinking water (e.g. standards for lead and microbiological
contaminants) and are now implementing new amendments to the Safe
Drinking Water Act including initiatives to prevent problems by
protecting the quality of source waters and improving system management.
·Over $70 billion of Federal funds has been spent to improve
sewage treatment throughout the country and dramatically improve
water quality.
·Clean water regulations result in the removal of over one
billion pounds of toxic water pollutants from industrial discharges
each year.
·Local, State, Tribal, and Federal governments are making
good progress in control of pollution from stormwater and diffuse
or nonpoint sources.
·With a flexible, fair, and effective Federal partnership
for protecting wetlands, we are making progress toward the goal
of no net loss of wetlands.
·We have encouraged, lead, and enabled States and communities
to focus on environmental problems holistically at the river,
watershed, lake, and estuary level.
These accomplishments inspire us to meet the remaining challenges
of assuring clean water and safe drinking water.
·Almost 40% of rivers, lakes, and coastal waters monitored
by States do not meet water quality goals.
·Almost 20% of the population is served by drinking water
systems in violation of health based requirements and we have
new protections to establish.
·Wet weather results in stormwater discharges and runoff
from diffuse, nonpoint sources of pollution (e.g. agricultural
operations, city streets, and construction) and causes significant
water pollution problems throughout the country.
·We have not yet achieved the national goal of "no overall
net loss" of wetlands as an interim milestone toward increasing
the quality and quantity of wetlands.
·Solving water pollution problems is increasingly complex
in both a scientific and policy sense (e.g. accounting for reproductive
and developmental effects of toxics, addressing water pollution
resulting form air deposition).
I see exciting opportunities for advancing the cause of clean
water and safe drinking water over the next several years and
meeting the challenges that we face. In past years, I have outlined
some of the major operating themes and program priorities for
the National Water Program in an Agenda for the Future. An Agenda
for the National Water Program for 19971998 is attached.
If we are to make progress toward our environmental and public
health goals, we must have a sound management and accountability
system. We work in dynamic times when organizations must develop
new tools to adjust and respond quickly while remaining accountable
for goals and objectives. We are working hard at EPA to make our
new planning, budgeting, and accountability structure, along with
the Government Performance and Results Act, work for us in ways
that improve our ability to manage our resources. We must learn
to get more from what we
have and I am excited by the opportunities for improved management
that these management systems provide.
Implementing the Agenda will require a tremendous team effort
by EPA Headquarters and Regional offices, States, Tribes, other
EPA programs, and other Federal agencies. Let me give you my assurance
that the EPA leadership will do everything possible to help support
the cooperative, intergovernmental effort that is so critical
to the success of the National Water Program.
Most of all, however, the National Water Program needs you to
continue to step up to the challenges and continue your dedication
to public service. For your dedication and your hard work, once
again I thank you.
NATIONAL WATER PROGRAM AGENDA 1997 1998
Introduction
The purpose of this National Water Program Agenda is to identify
general principles for the management of the clean water and drinking
water programs and to highlight key program and management strategies
for 1997 and beyond. The Agenda is a means of communicating water
program goals and priorities to a wide audience, including the
public and the regulated community. In addition, the Agenda is
a management tool. It provides EPA Regions and States with an
annual statement of program directions and provides guidance on
the development of Management Agreements with States and will
serve as a basis for EPA Headquarters assessments of EPA Regions.
The Agenda provides overall guidance it is a starting
point for much of what we do, but not all of it.
The Agenda is divided into three sections an "Operating
Framework" including basic principles to guide water program
implementation; a description of water program priority areas;
and a description of key elements of the water program management
system.
I) OPERATING FRAMEWORK
Three key principles will guide the National Water Program
in 1997 and beyond
·assure the health of America's watersheds and protect places;
·expand citizens' righttoknow and improve communication;
and
·apply common sense to all that we do.
A) Assure the Health of America's Watersheds Organize
and Work to Protect Places
For the past 25 years, much of the focus of the clean water
program has been on assuring that major categories of sources
meet national minimum discharge standards and implementing generalized,
national programs to reduce pollution. In the future, implementation
of core programs will continue, but more and more attention will
focus on identifying the specific waterbodies or watersheds that
still do not meet water quality goals and standards and devising
tailored solutions to solving these problems.
Some of the remaining water quality problems will be solved with
relatively simple amendments to discharge permits or other requirements.
But many water pollution problems are the result of the complex
interaction of various different pollution sources within a watershed.
These problems are best solved through the development of watershed
plans that integrate programs for control of point source discharges
and nonpoint sources and provide decisionmakers with an
opportunity to consider issues such as protection and restoration
of habitat for aquatic life (e.g. wetlands), drinking water sources,
ground water protection, and other conditions. A "healthy
watershed" approach to pollution control results in more
comprehensive environmental solutions, more costeffective
and flexible programs, and improved public involvement.
EPA actions to support healthy watersheds and protect places will
include
·Work with a Federal Advisory Committee to develop a strategy
for reinventing the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program, including
improving tools for quick and accurate assessment of pollution
loadings (e.g. the BASINS CDROM package), strengthening
linkages between the permit program and the nonpoint source program,
improving implementation, and better defining roles for EPA and
the States.
·Work with States and Tribes to assess the condition and
vulnerability of each of the over 2,000 watersheds in the country
through the National Watershed Assessment Project (NWAP), including
providing a Phase I report in the Spring of 1997 and a Phase II
report providing for refined watershed assessments in 1998.
·Using a range of information sources (e.g. State lists of
impaired waters needing TMDLs, the Phase I NWAP report, Regional
and State data), work with States to identify needed actions in
watersheds with the most pressing needs and include these actions
in FY 1998 Management Agreements between Headquarters and the
Regions and for State/EPA agreements.
·Work with other Federal agencies, States, Tribes, and local
communities in a new initiative to identify ten "American
Heritage Rivers" and provide technical and grant support
for river restoration pilot projects.
·Working with States and Tribes, determine which water pollution
control tools developed at the national level (e.g. water quality
and biological criteria, water quality standards, monitoring and
measurement methodologies, risk assessment methods, watershed
education materials, fate/transport models) are most needed to
correct problems in impaired waters and establish schedules for
this work.
·Continue "placebasing" EPA staff to support
local and watershed level problem solving, working toward the
goal of 20% of staff assigned to this work.
·Draw insights and lessons from the continued implementation
of existing placebased initiatives including the National
Estuary Program and projects to protect the Great Lakes, Chesapeake
Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and other areas.
·Provide tools to States, water suppliers, and communities
to assess threats to local sources of drinking water, improve
citizen involvement in developing local pollution prevention and
source water protection activities, and link clean water/drinking
water protection programs (e.g. TMDLs).
·Implement pilot projects under the Urban Initiative and
the Sustainable Development Grants Program to support partnerships
to revitalize cities and remove barriers to environmental and
economic redevelopment.
B) Expand Citizens' RighttoKnow and Improve Communication
The continued success of the National Water Program will depend
on firstrate communication among all parties
Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments, interested organizations,
and the public. EPA will make every effort to assure good communication
among agencies responsible for water quality and drinking water
safety and to expand the information that citizens have about
water quality and drinking water conditions.
Expand Citizens' RighttoKnow
Over the next several years, the clean water program will
increasingly focus on solving complex pollution problems on a
watershed basis. The drinking water program will dramatically
increase work with local water systems to improve pollution prevention
and source water protection. A key element of both these initiatives
will be a significantly expanded effort to provide citizens with
an unprecedented range of information about clean water and drinking
water issues and conditions where they live a commitment
to the citizens' righttoknow.
As part of this "righttoknow" initiative,
the Office of Water will
·Continue to develop Surf Your Watershed, a stateoftheart
communications tool available on the Office of Water Internet
Homepage, with water quality information from EPA and its partners
available by subject and geographic area for each of the 2,111
watersheds in the lower 48 States and capability for local watershed
groups to link activities; expand to include all States and territories.
·Expand public outreach, involvement opportunities, and information,
in partnership with the States, for all of the new prevention
programs in the Safe Drinking Water Act amendments, including
the Intended Use Plan process for State decisionmaking on
prevention.
·By August 1998, promulgate regulations providing for annual
consumer confidence reports by drinking water systems to all customers
on drinking water quality.
·Develop a new national program to better protect the health
of beachgoers including improved scientific methods to detect
water quality contamination at beaches, assistance to local authorities
for water testing, and expanded information about the safety of
beaches through an Internet database on beach advisories and closures.
·Implement a range of initiatives, including a new Internet
database, to better distribute information about fish consumption
advisories issued by States and the health threats of exposure
to contaminated fish and shellfish, giving special emphasis to
informing people facing the
greatest risks.
Improve Communication
For the past several years, the Office of Water has worked
to convey information in plain, simple, and concise language,
to improve the presentation of materials, and to build stronger
communication networks. EPA will continue this effort to improve
communication within the
National Water Program with activities including
·Work with States and other interested parties to create,
promote, and support celebratory events and other activities to
commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Clean Water Act on October
18, 1997 with the goal of better informing the public and interested
organizations about past improvements in water quality and the
significant remaining water pollution problems.
·Expand the use of electronic news bulletins, voice mail
messages, and other technologies to better communicate with Headquarters
and Regional employees of the National Water Program.
·Continue regular meetings of the newly formed EPA/State
Water Program Operations Committee and use the Committee to identify
EPA/State coordination issues and as a forum for discussions of
the longterm water program direction and policy.
·Improve communication between EPA and State water program
staff with expanded Internet access for all water program staff,
better coordination of training, and more personnel sharing, including
sharing of senior managers.
·Complete the P2000 Project developing electronic grant and
program management and expand electronic reporting to other States.
·Continue to provide that each water program area has staff
assigned to assure clear and timely communication of program activities
(e.g. preparation of nontechnical fact sheets for major
actions and effective distribution of products and services to
provide the public with better information about water issues).
C) Apply Common Sense to All That We Do
The National Water Program is committed to reinvention
finding and using innovative ways to do a better job. EPA is increasing
flexibility, encouraging collaboration and innovation, and cutting
red tape while retaining programmatic and fiscal accountability.
We are keeping what works well and changing what does not. We
are seeking common sense solutions smarter, cheaper
ways to get environmental results.
The Office of Water will promote common sense approaches to water
pollution control through a range of activities including
·Work with States and interested parties to develop approaches
to trading water pollution control requirements within a watershed
in ways that improve environmental protection and costeffectiveness;
finalize the Watershed Trading Framework guidance document.
·Continue comprehensive reinvention of the NPDES program,
including coordination of permits on a watershed basis, publication
of regulations to streamline permit application data requirements,
and full implementation of the Interim Guidance allowing reductions
in reporting and monitoring at facilities with excellent compliance
and enforcement records.
·Encourage and implement voluntary efforts to achieve greater
public health protection, such as the Partnership for Safe Water
that encourages public water systems to optimize removal of waterborne
pathogens from their facilities.
·Work with States, the regulated community, and the public
to identify daytoday activities that do not make sense
and reform these activities to reflect Agency initiatives on customer
service, efficiency, and streamlining.
·Participate in Agencywide efforts to reinvent environmental
regulation including reporting burden reduction, Project XL (a
program of pilot efforts with companies, facilities, States, and
communities to achieve environmental results beyond those required
by law), and the "Common Sense Initiative" focusing
opportunities for innovation in six industry sectors.
II) WATER PROGRAM PRIORITY AREAS
Over the next several years, the National Water Program will
give top priority to making substantial progress in several key
areas:
·Improve Drinking Water Safety Improve the safety
of drinking water through effective implementation of the Safe
Drinking Water Act amendments of 1996.
·Reduce Wet Weather Pollution Define and implement
effective programs for control of water pollution during wet weather.
·Protect Wetlands Reduce the rate of wetland
losses and, by the year 2000, begin annual wetlands gains.
·Nurture and Revitalize Core Programs In addition
to the three priority areas cited above, the National Water Program
will nurture and revitalize core clean water and drinking water
programs.
A) Improve Drinking Water Safety by Effectively Implementing
the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Amendments
The 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act mark an
important step in the evolution of drinking water protection in
the United States. The amendments call for new approaches in key
areas such as the contaminant selection process based on a national
contaminant occurrence database, consideration of benefits and
costs in contaminant regulation, development of programs to protect
sources of drinking waters, and creation and oversight of State
Revolving Loan Funds to finance drinking water infrastructure.
A top priority for the National Water Program over the next several
years will be the effective implementation of the SDWA amendments.
Extensive participation by the States, local agencies, and the
public will be essential to the successful implementation of the
amendments. EPA's role will shift toward that of leader, facilitator,
and motivator.
Implementation of the new drinking water amendments will also
offer opportunities for creative collaboration in implementing
the drinking water and clean water programs (e.g. source water
assessment and protection, coordination of infrastructure financing,
watershed management, citizen righttoknow, etc.).
EPA must take on the challenge of leadership, both nationally
and regionally, to assure the vision of all of the new protection
programs working together and assertively work to achieve increased
and improved public involvement and health protection; we must
assure this is done!
The amendments include over 70 specific statutory duties for EPA.
Some of the key efforts to implement the new amendments in the
next several years will include
·Create teams of EPA and State officials to develop implementation
strategies for major areas of the amendments and seek input and
consensus on key areas of the Amendments through public work groups
established under the statutory National Drinking Water Advisory
Council (NDWAC).
·Assure effective implementation of new programs for protecting
sources of drinking water by developing program guidance, providing
technical and other support to States on source water protection
and assessment, and implementing an extensive outreach program
to involve water systems, local governments, interested groups,
and the public in source water assessment and protection.
·Encourage the coordination, and ultimately the integration,
of source water protection efforts with state programs for watershed
management.
·Help improve public water systems' management capacity,
including the training and certification of water system operators,
by issuing program guidance, providing information, and promoting
public participation as States frame their capacity development
strategies.
·Provide technical assistance and other support as needed
to assure that States will be able to build on efforts to improve
management capacity and operator certification and work toward
the effective and sustainable implementation of the small system
provisions of the amendments.
·Assist States to develop State revolving loan funds under
the amendments and work to assure the timely initiation of loans
to support needed drinking water infrastructure and decisions
on prevention program setasides.
·Promulgate interim national standards for microbial contaminants
by the end of 1998 and develop the information needed to support
standards for arsenic, radon and any further needed regulation
of disinfection byproducts and microbial contaminants.
B) Reduce Wet Weather Pollution
It is essential that, over the next several years, EPA, States
and interested parties work together to implement effective programs
for control of water pollution during wet weather, including development
of the stormwater permit program (including control of overflows
from combined sewers and sanitary sewers) and continued implementation
of programs to reduce pollution from nonpoint sources. Progress
on control of stormwater discharges and nonpoint runoff will substantially
complete the core foundation of water pollution controls and allow
greater focus on identifying and improving specific waters where
the core programs have not succeeded in meeting water quality
goals.
Urban Sources
Over the past 25 years, EPA and the States have made good
progress in issuing discharge permits for a wide range of point
sources dischargers. These permits have made dramatic improvements
in water quality conditions and are largely responsible for the
dramatic success in reducing water pollution. Most of these permits
are for continuous discharges with predictable effluent quality
and quantity that occur in both wet and dry weather conditions.
In response to the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act, EPA
and the States have expanded efforts to issue permits for discharges
of stormwater occurring as a result of wet weather. Congress directed
that this effort focus first on stormwater discharges from industrial
sites and municipalities with populations of over 100,000 and
then on municipalities with populations of under 100,000 and other
areas.
In a related effort, EPA and States worked with municipal and
other interest groups to develop a consensus policy for the management
of discharges from overflows from combined storm and sanitary
sewers (CSOs). The development and initial implementation of stormwater
and CSO permits over the next several years will be a major milestone
for the National Clean Water Program the implementation
of basic water pollution controls for all major point sources
of water pollution. EPA is also developing a national policy to
reduce overflows from sanitary sewers (SSOs) and the public health
threats these overflows cause.
Key Office of Water activities related to development of stormwater,
CSO, and SSO controls over the next several years will include
·Work with States, Tribes, and local governments, the Urban
WetWeather Advisory Committee, and other interested parties
to assure the coordinated development of policies relating to
urban wet weather pollution (e.g. urban runoff, stormwater discharges,
sanitary sewer overflows, and the combined sewer overflows) while
giving special attention to
·development of proposed regulations and guidance to streamline
the Phase I permit program, including monitoring requirements
and State reporting requirements;
·development of an approach to control of stormwater in municipalities
with populations of under 100,000 and at commercial sites and
publicawith populations of under 100,000 and at commercial sites
and publication of a proposed regulations for the Phase II of
the stormwater program by the fall of 1997;
·concluding review of issues related to overflows of SSOs
and publishing a new national policy to improve control of SSOs;
and,
·integration of stormwater pollution controls with other
pollution controls on a watershed basis.
·Continue issuance of permits implementing the CSO Control
Policy with the goal of implementing the nine minimum controls
called for in the Policy in 1997.
·Ensure that all NPDES permits for Phase I municipal separate
storm sewer systems (i.e. systems serving over 100,000 people)
and industrial sites are issued in FY 1997 with needed wet weather
pollution controls.
Nonpoint Sources
Pollution from diffuse or nonpoint sources during and after
rainfalls is now the single largest cause of water pollution.
Nonpoint pollution results from a range of activities (e.g. construction,
forestry, mining), but by far the most significant category of
nonpoint pollution is agriculture. For example, States report
that agriculture is the leading cause of impairment of 60% of
the river miles reported as impaired. Municipal point sources
are a distant second, impairing only 17% of impaired rivers. Continued
progress in improving and restoring water quality will require
significant reductions in pollution from nonpoint sources, especially
agricultural sources. Key Office of Water activities to address
agricultural and other nonpoint sources of water pollution will
include
·Assure that all States make needed revisions to their nonpoint
pollution control programs to increase effectiveness and help
States fully implement all nine of the key program elements agreed
to by EPA and the States as part of the reinvention of the section
319 program.
·In cooperation with other Federal agencies, including the
Department of Agriculture, and the States, develop enhanced strategies
to further reduce water pollution from nonpoint sources.
·Work with Federal agencies, States, Tribes, and other parties
to assure development and implementation of best management practices
to reduce nonpoint pollution on Federal lands, assure compliance
with any nonpoint pollution control requirements imposed by a
State as a result of project certification under section 401 of
the Clean Water Act, and begin work on a national rulemaking related
to certification under section 401.
·Implement a new initiative to reduce water pollution from
concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) including
· with the Office of Compliance and Enforcement Assurance,
evaluate compliance with existing NPDES permits and bring facilities
that are in violation into compliance;
· assess the need to issue permits to additional animal feeding
operations that could have a significant impact on water quality,
including those that only discharge during high rainfall; and
· significantly strengthen national guidelines for CAFO operators
identifying improved operational practices to reduce water quality
and related environmental impacts of CAFOs.
C) Protect Wetlands and Reduce the Rate of Wetland Losses
The National Water Program has made significant progress over
the past several years in improving wetlands protection programs.
In cooperation with other agencies, EPA has made progress in reducing
duplication and increasing consistency between the Clean Water
and Food Security Acts (Swampbuster), in clarifying wetlands identification,
providing flexibility several years in improving wetlands protection
programs. Wetlands programs will be guided by a new Wetlands
Program Strategic Plan that is designed to continue to enhance
wetlands protection while assuring that wetlands regulation is
fair and flexible.
Building on the reformed and revitalized wetlands program, the
National Water Program will focus efforts on slowing the rate
of wetlands loss and achieving a net gain of wetlands early in
the next century. Meeting this goal will require EPA to strengthen
partnerships with other Federal agencies, States, Tribes, and
private landowners to establish comprehensive programs for wetlands
to increase the rate of wetlands restoration while implementing
wetlands permitting programs in a fair and flexible manner.
Key EPA activities to protect and restore wetlands will include
·Build the capacity of States, Tribes, and local governments
to effectively protect wetland resources and encourage and support
the development and implementation of State/Tribal Wetlands Conservation
Plans (SWCPs) through workshops, grants and technical assistance
so that by the year 2000 at least 25 States and 15 Tribes will
have adopted SWCPs.
·Encourage State and Tribal assumption of wetlands regulatory
authority consistent with the goal of enhancing wetlands protection
and restoration.
·Develop guidance to establish that adequate safeguards are
in place to ensure the longterm success of wetlands mitigation
projects, including mitigation banks.
·Increase emphasis on watershed or ecosystem management as
a framework for organizing information necessary to protect and
restore wetlands, addressing the cumulative impact of development
activities in the watershed, assessing the most serious risks
to wetlands and the most promising restoration opportunities,
and integrating wetland goals with planning and economic development
goals.
·Work with other Federal and State agencies to expedite development
of procedures that will improve assessment of wetlands functions
and project impacts to assure that the chemical, physical and
biological integrity of wetlands are fully considered in making
program decisions, including development of technical guidance
on biocriteria for wetlands.
·Implement the recommendations of the EPA River Corridor
and Wetlands Restoration Initiative Team by identifying crossprogram
opportunities, initiating a dialogue with potential external partners,
developing a Restoration Project Information System, and undertaking
or participating in 20 restoration projects nationally.
·Work with other Federal agencies, including the Department
of Agriculture, to coordinate wetlands related programs to continue
progress in reducing the rate of wetlands loss.
·Continue to facilitate coordination among Corps, States,
and Tribes in the recently reissued Nationwide Permit Program
to assure that water quality goals are addressed, appropriate
regional conditions or regional general permits are developed,
and specific data are collected for ESA
and NEPA purposes as well as for development of replacement permits
for Nationwide Permit 26.
·Work with other Federal agencies to build on past efforts
to maximize consistency between the section 404 permit program
and the Swampbuster program.
D) Nurture and Revitalize Core Programs
The National Water Program is built on a solid foundation
of effective programs developed and implemented over the past
quarter century. Making progress in the priority areas of drinking
water, wet weather pollution and wetlands protection is essential,
but in order for our initiatives in areas such as prevention,
watersheds, righttoknow, and reinvention to succeed,
they must be built on a strong foundation of core protection programs.
These core protections must be nurtured and energized.
Some of the key initiatives to advance or revitalize core clean
water and safe drinking water programs will include
·Develop an intra and interagency effort to assess
problems and develop strategies to reduce air deposition of chemicals,
heavy metals (especially mercury), nutrients, and other pollutants
(especially nitrogen dioxide) to waters of the United States.
·Develop in 1997, in cooperation with Regions, States, and
others, a Water Quality Criteria Development Plan that lays out
priorities and schedules for revision of existing criteria and
development of new criteria related to nutrients, beach protection,
toxic pollutants with reproductive and developmental effects,
and biological condition of waters.
·Use Advanced Notices of Proposed Rulemaking and/or other
approaches to develop information on regulations relating to water
quality standards emphasizing opportunities to control pollution
on a watershed basis and strengthen local protection.
·Work with States and others to develop a strategy to address
toxic pollutants with developmental and reproductive effects,
in conjunction with the findings and recommendations of the report
by the National Academy of Sciences.
·Publish a longterm plan providing schedules for development
of national minimum standards for high priority source categories
and proposing innovative approaches to national assessment of
such nontraditional sectors as concentrated animal feeding
operations and stormwater.
·Work with States to develop monitoring reforms for chemical
contaminants in drinking water.
·Review national regulations and policy to prevent degradation
in waters and work with States and Tribes to improve antidegradation
policies.
·Assure adequate capitalization of State funds for financing
of clean water and drinking water infrastructure and assure that
these funds are well managed and focused on the most pressing
environmental and public health needs.
·Implement the Administration's Dredging Policy and the Vice
President's Plan to improve environmental protection in the dredging
process in the New York/New Jersey Harbor and nationwide.
·With States and other interested parties, develop core management
measures for State water programs.
·Assure that water programs are supported by sound, peer
reviewed science and develop tools to support priority setting,
risk assessment, and risk management.
III) THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PROMOTING FLEXIBILITY
WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
Effective management of the national water program is an essential
prerequisite to the continued effectiveness of the core clean
water and drinking water programs and to the success of priority
water program initiatives. In the future, we will measure the
success of the water programs more by the environmental and public
health outcomes they help bring about and less by the levels of
activity they generate.
During the coming years, EPA will work with interested parties
to provide greater flexibility to adapt programs and funding to
meet pressing needs. Increased flexibility in program implementation
is possible when good management assures accountability for attainment
of environmental goals and good communication builds trust and
confidence. An overarching management goal for the National Water
Program is to strike the right balance between increased flexibility
in program implementation and continued progress in improving
accountability for program results by measuring real changes to
the environment.
The National Water Program has four key management objectives
·continue improvement of StateEPA management agreements;
·support the American Indian Environmental Office;
·assure more effective oversight of grants; and
·prepare for the transition to management under the Governmental
Performance and Results Act (GPRA).
A) Build on the Agreements Between EPA/States and Tribes and
EPA Headquarters/Regions
The States, Tribes, and EPA share responsibility for the successful
implementation of the National Water Program. It is essential
that EPA Headquarters and Regional offices and the States and
Tribes have an effective process for assessing and discussing
clean water and drinking water program priorities and accomplishments
on a national and State level.
This Agenda is a key first step in the intergovernmental management
process for the National Clean Water Program. In addition to providing
an overview of key water program activities in FY 1997
1998, the Agenda provides the overall context for water program
management and is intended to guide development of the FY 199899
EPA Headquarters/ Regional Management Agreements. Supporting the
Agenda are water program goals and core management measures for
the National Water Program.
EPA Headquarters/Regional Management Agreements serve as a basis
for negotiation of FY 1998 and 1999 water program agreements with
States and Tribes and, for some States, development of Performance
Partnership Grants (PPGs). PPGs allow combination of funds from
various grant programs. PPGs allow States greater flexibility
to address pressing environmental problems, implement multimedia
solutions within a watershed, and improve attainment of environmental
and water quality goals. The National Water Program encourages
the use of PPGs provided that water program requirements and management
measures are met.
Office of Water senior managers will visit EPA Regions in the
Spring of 1997, beginning with Regions II and VIII, to discuss
the Agenda, its relationship to Management Agreements, Regional
experience in implementing national priorities, and development
of water program agreements/PPGs with States and Tribes. Regions
will be requested to invite States, Tribes, and regional environmental
groups to these meetings.
These regional visits will also be an opportunity to discuss longterm
goals for the National Water Program and how to express and measure
goals in terms of core measures/ program outputs,
national environmental accomplishments/indicators, and placebased
environmental improvements (i.e. restoration of waters listed
as needing TMDLs or watersheds identified in the National Watershed
Assessment Project). Development of a clear understanding of water
program goals is critical to successful transition to management
under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).
To be more effective in FY 19971998, the National Water
Program will
·Develop 2year RegionOffice of Water Management
Agreements in 1997 for FY 199899, with annual reviews and
progress reports linked to core measures, to provide greater flexibility
but retain accountability for getting work done.
·Use annual commitments and programmatic activity measures
in all Management Agreements to evaluate program performance on
a periodic basis and use simple, streamlined, standard (mostly
electronic) methods for reporting under the Management Agreements
·Use the National Water Program environmental indicators
and milestones contained in the National Goals Report to assess
progress toward attainment of water program goals on a national
and watershed level.
·Identify specific geographic areas that need management
attention to reverse or prevent degradation drawing on State lists
of impaired waters needing TMDLs and watersheds identified through
the National Watershed Assessment Project.
B) Support the American Indian Environmental Office
The Office of Water will continue to take the lead within
EPA for support of the EPA American Indian Environmental Office
(AIEO) and will assist AIEO in developing the environmental management
capacity of Tribal governments.
Specifically, the National Water Program will
·Assist AIEO in its work with Tribes to develop TribalEPA
Environmental Agreements for at least 200 Tribal governments by
the end of 1998 that describe a Tribe's environmental problems,
the Tribe's longterm vision for its environment, and the
nearterm steps to address priority problems.
·Involve all Assistant Administrators and Regional Administrators
in the development of the AIEO agenda and the decisions on Indian
environmental issues in FY 1997 and 1998 and improve AIEO ability
to provide crossmedia coordination with Headquarters and
Regions to build Tribal capacity.
·Support the goal of approving water quality management programs
for 50 additional tribes and adoption of water quality standards
by an additional 20 tribes by increasing grant funds to Tribes
for water quality programs, developing a Tribal Watershed Management
Framework, and increasing support for the development of Tribal
water quality standards.
·Provide implementation assistance related to the new Safe
Drinking Water Act amendments including use of loan funds, operator
certification, capacity development, and source water protection.
C) Strengthen PostAward Oversight of Grants, Cooperative
Agreements, and Interagency Agreements
One of EPA's fundamental responsibilities is stewardship of
the taxpayers' money. Good grant management practices are essential
to this stewardship role. It is imperative that EPA and States
work together to correct weaknesses and implement strong grants
management practices across the National Water Program.
To strengthen grant management practices, the National Water Program
will
·Review the effectiveness of National Water Program grant
management practices and implement needed improvements.
·Cooperate closely with other EPA offices, EPA Regions, and
States to assure management attention to the orderly completion
of the Construction Grants program.
·Assure that special project grants for water infrastructure
are awarded expeditiously and managed to an orderly completion.
·Review, and where needed revise, procedures for oversight
of the financial integrity of State revolving loan funds and establish
appropriate fiscal oversight procedures for newly created State
drinking water revolving loan funds.
D) Prepare for a Smooth Transition to GPRA
The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) was enacted
in 1993 to provide for strategic planning and performance measurement
in the Federal government. EPA's Planning, Budget, Analysis and
Accountability (PBAA) group has developed a framework for implementing
GPRA that includes an Agencywide strategic plan with a set
of goals and objectives. The objectives will be developed by the
national program managers and will have measurable endpoideveloped
a framework for implementing GPRA that includes an Agencywide
strategic plan with a set of goals and objectives. The objectives
will be developed by the national program managers and will have
measurable endpoints. Multiyear action plans and annual
performance plans will be developed for each objective. These
plans will inform and support the budget process. At the end
of each fiscal year, performance reports will be produced that
evaluate performance against each objective and the associated
resouce use. Agencies are to implement GPRA in FY 1999.
GPRA presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge
is to prepare for its implementation. The opportunity is to gain
a tool that directly links our accomplishments in environmental
protection to our resources.
Specific actions the National Water Program will take to prepare
for implementation of GPRA include
·Implement water program GPRA pilots (i.e. combined sewer
overflow program, fish contamination program, database on microbial
contaminants and disinfection byproducts in drinking water, Massachusetts
Bays Initiative, Long Island Sound Geographic Initiative, Acid
Mine Drainage Initiative, San Miguel communitybased source
water and wetlands protection, Coeur D'Alene Basin) and apply
lessons learned in these pilot projects to water program implementation
of GPRA.
·Work with States, Tribes, and Regions to develop objectives,
multiyear action plans, and annual performance plans consistent
with GPRA for the National Water Program for FY 1999 and assure
that these plans are integrated with core measures, program goals,
and environmental
indicators.