The NPS Management Program Task Force met Tuesday, September 16 at the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service in Little Rock.  Stakeholders began laying the groundwork for the next Management Program Update, set to begin in 2009. 

To this end, stakeholders:

• Identified new sources of information and analytic tools available to more effectively select watersheds where incremental funds from the Clean Water Act, Section 319(h) can be used
  
  
• Reviewed model and remote sensing for L'Anguille River as an example of improved analytical tools that will be used for 2009 NPS Management Program Update 
  
  
• Briefly discussed a working definition of NPS-related impaired streams developed using a modified-Delphi approach.  There was a consensus that this definition needs more work. 
  
  
• Reviewed list of 2008 impaired waters that result using the working definition

NPS-related TMDL 2008 impaired waters
Likely NPS-related Category 5 impaired waters

• Discussed proposed Qualitative Risk Assessment Matrix that will be used to rank 8-digit HUC watersheds to used in selection of new priority watersheds where incremental CWA 319(h) funds will be used.  Extensive revisions were made to the proposal based on stakeholder input.  The revised Qualitative Risk Assessment Matrix will continue to evolve based on continued input, data availability, cost of analysis and other factors.  For comparison, here are:

Full description of 2004 Qualitative Risk Assessment Matrix
PowerPoint presentation used to generate stakeholder discussion

• Email your comments and suggestions on the revised Qualitative Risk Assessment Matrix criteria and scoring or working definition of NPS-impaired streams to Tony Ramick.at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .