October 19, 2000

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt have agreed on a policy to protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems on federal lands. The policy will serve as a framework for land and resource management focused on watersheds.

The new "Watershed Approach to Federal Land and Resource Management" will guide the protection of water quality and aquatic ecosystem health through the reduction of polluted runoff, the improvement of natural resources stewardship, and an increase in public involvement in watershed management on federal lands.

It calls on federal agencies to work together and with states, tribes, local governments, private landowners, and other interested parties to take a watershed approach to federal land and resource management. Watershed planning will include assessment and monitoring of watershed conditions, and identifying priority watersheds to focus budget and other resources. The policy applies only to federal lands.

USDA and Interior are joined by the Department of Commerce, Defense, and Energy; the Environmental Protection Agency; Tennessee Valley Authority; and the Army Corps of Engineers in establishing and carrying out the new policy. The policy is published in today's Federal Register, and is also available on the web at http://www.cleanwater.gov/ufp/.