Watershed Assessment

The first step in any watershed planning approach involves accurately characterizing current water and habitat impairments in a watershed. An accurate watershed assessment is necessary to establish a baseline, or current condition, which will be used to evaluate the success of future watershed management efforts. Watershed assessment and monitoring may involve complex data collection and analysis that can be expensive and time consuming. Local communities often lack the resources and expertise to undertake these complex tasks, yet need accurate information on watershed and stream conditions. ECA can employ several rapid assessment methods that can be undertaken relatively inexpensively and easily while producing timely, valuable information. This information can be useful in identifying restoration opportunities, choosing best management practices, and as a basis for identifying current and future planning objectives. ECA makes recommendations and aids in design for both water and habitat improvement related projects.