Improving Water Quality and Salmonid Populations Using Watershed-Scale Adaptive Management within Statewide Integrated Water Quality Management

In multi-land use watersheds, social, economic and science factors at multiple scales influence protection and restoration of water quality and fish populations.  Stakeholder perceptions of regulations can lead to information silos while uncertainty in sources of pollutants and the watershed response to management can lead to ineffective restoration activities. Integrated Water Quality Management (IWQM) provides a State-level framework for legal roles while watershed-level Adaptive Management (AM) allows local restoration activities to progress.  In Oregon, IWQM relies on interagency communication, coordination, and collaboration. Watershed-specific AM strategies are developed with a diverse advisory committee representing government agencies, point source dischargers, representative land management activities, funding agencies, fisheries managers, and environmental advocacy groups.  Connections between IWQM and AM requires coordination, communication, and collaboration among multiple stakeholders.  A clear connection between these two management frameworks is needed for science and policy actions to be effective tools, rather than impediments, for watershed restoration to improve water quality and restore salmonid populations. We will discuss how we have linked these concepts in Oregon as part of the TMDL process.