What is a watershed approach?
A watershed is a geographic area drained by a river or stream. A watershed is as large as the Mississippi River Basin or as small as the Roe River watershed, a 53-foot long river near Great Falls. A watershed approach is based on the premise that water quality restoration and protection are best addressed through integrated efforts within a defined geographic area. DEQ has divided the state into 91 watershed planning areas to facilitate development of TMDL/water quality restoration plans. The department has developed a schedule for completing restoration plans for all areas by May 2007 (see figure 1). FIGURE 1.
