Suggested citation:

Ford, L.A., and R.J. McCormick. 2015. Bureau of Land Management 

Water Resource Program Strategy: Focus on Integration, 2015-

2020. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, 

Washington Office, Washington, DC.

Production services provided by the BLM National Operations Center’s

Information and Publishing Services Section in Denver, Colorado.

BLM/WO/GI-15/015+7400
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Water Resource Program Strategy:

Focus on Integration

2015-2020

Authors:

Larisa A. Ford, Soil, Water, and Air Program Lead

BLM Washington Office, Washington, DC

Ron McCormick, Ecologist

BLM Washington Office, Washington, DC

SEPTEMBER 2015
The BLM must address complex and critical 

water resource management matters, including 

important supply and demand situations in the 

face of a changing climate, that will affect its 

ability to authorize many activities during periods 

of drought, flood, and increased fire intensities, all 

in the context of greater surface and ground water 

use demands.
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

i

SOIL, WATER, and AIR 

PROGRAM

Mission Statement:

We maintain and improve foundational processes to ensure resilience 

of our watersheds and other landscapes and to promote ecosystem 

integrity by protecting, maintaining, and improving the quality of 

soil, water, and air resources on public lands in partnership with 

communities and stakeholders. 

Vision Statement:

The Soil, Water, and Air Program seeks to improve the quality 

and effectiveness of decisions made by the Bureau of Land 

Management by:

(1) Integrating natural resource conservation and sustainable use 

principles in soil, water, and air activities and functions.

(2) Providing effective engagement with other programs, partners, 

and stakeholders.

(3) Striving to make soil, water, and air resources knowledge and 

expertise accessible throughout the BLM.
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary . .

1. Introduction .

2. Emphasis, Perspective, and Approach .

2.1 A Watershed Emphasis .

2.2 A Landscape Perspective .

2.3 An Ecosystem Services Approach .

2.4 Protecting Water Quality and Quantity .

3. Collaborate to Protect and Restore Watersheds .

3.1 Bureau of Land Management .

3.2 Federal Partners .

3.3 Tribes . 

3.4 State and Local Agencies . 

3.5 Other BLM Programs and Initiatives . 

4. Goals and Objectives . 

4.1 Goal 1: Increase proactive measures taken to 

reduce the introduction of traditional

pollutants to water resources . 

4.2 Goal 2: Incorporate collaborative, regional 

watershed resource assessments into BLM 

standard practices . 

4.3 Goal 3: Improve the breadth, depth, and 

efficiency of water quality monitoring and the 

effectiveness of subsequent analyses . 

4.4 Goal 4: Improve the availability of and access to 

water quality monitoring data . 

4.5 Goal 5: Improve relationships with other agencies 

and stakeholders . 

4.6 Goal 6: Enhance and maintain the BLM’s 

technical expertise relevant to water resources . 

5. Summary . 
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

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Executive Summary

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Soil, Water, and Air Program 

is establishing 5-year strategies for all three program elements to 

support BLM professionals in meeting conservation challenges posed 

by increasing societal demands for ecological resources on public lands. 

This strategy highlights the management challenges particular to water 

resources and describes the diverse roles and responsibilities of federal, 

state, and tribal governments, along with local agencies. This strategy 

outlines six overarching goals for the BLM Water Resource Program 

to achieve over the next 5 years. This strategy will enable the BLM 

to continue protecting water resources while complying with the 

Federal Land Policy and Management Act’s multiple-use and 

sustained-yield mandate for managing public lands.

The goals highlighted in this strategy include: (1) increase proactive 

measures taken to reduce the introduction of traditional pollutants 

to water resources; (2) incorporate collaborative, regional watershed 

resource assessments into BLM standard practices; (3) improve the 

breadth, depth, and efficiency of water quality monitoring and the 

effectiveness of subsequent analyses; (4) improve the availability of and 

access to water quality monitoring data; (5) improve relationships with 

other agencies and stakeholders; and (6) enhance and maintain the 

BLM’s technical expertise relevant to water resources.

A critical aspect of this strategy is the use of a landscape approach 

based on watershed boundaries. This places new emphasis on proactive 

measures to reduce discharges, enhance regional salinity reduction 

assessments, design and implement monitoring plans, and improve 

data management. Also, equally critical elements include increasing 

collaborative relationships with other agencies and stakeholders and 

strengthening the water expertise within the BLM. This strategy offers 

opportunities for continual learning to inform BLM water resource 

professionals as well as to support other resource management efforts.
The BLM is facing an increasing number of inquiries, 

challenges, and litigation from interest groups regarding:

(1) Effects of hydraulic fracturing and energy development 

on ground water and drinking water supplies.

(2) Water quality and water supply.

(3) Effects of multiple water uses on wilderness and other 

sensitive areas.

(4) Application of measures to offset avoidable impairment 

of water quality due to authorized uses. 

(5) Challenges for water rights, nonuse transfers, and 

beneficial instream water uses.
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

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1. Introduction

As part of managing the use 

of its trust resources, the U.S. 

Department of the Interior’s 

Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM) assesses and authorizes 

actions related to energy 

development, mineral extraction, 

timber harvesting, grazing, 

rights-of-way, dams, recreational 

opportunities, and other activities 

that may release pollutants or 

toxins into surface or ground 

waters. The Federal Land Policy 

and Management Act (FLPMA) 

directs the BLM to manage its 

245 million surface acres of public 

lands and 700 million subsurface 

acres of mineral estate on the basis 

of “multiple use” and “sustained 

yield” principles. 

Along with FLPMA, two other 

federal statutes—the Clean Water 

Act (CWA) and the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)—

guide the BLM’s uses of water 

resources. Several provisions 

of FLPMA apply directly to this 

strategy, including: (1) that the 

BLM will manage the public lands 

in a manner that maintains water 

quality and protects the ecosystem 

values derived from water 

resources; (2) that the BLM’s land 

use plans provide for compliance 

with applicable water pollution 

standards, among other laws; 

and (3) that the BLM incorporate 

provisions allowing revocation 

of a lease or suspension of a use 

authorization for noncompliance 

with water quality standards or 

implementation plans. A common 

thread among these policies is 

the need for accurate and timely 

information regarding resource 

location, amount, condition, 

and trend.

While the CWA defines a 

regulatory framework for 

protecting and improving the 

nation’s water quality, the 

BLM’s water resource decisions 

may, in certain circumstances, 

complement CWA requirements, 

particularly when they protect 

public lands, as broadly defined 

in FLPMA, from unnecessary 

and undue degradation. NEPA 

offers a process for identifying 

water resources that should 

be considered during the 

environmental review process. 

Under the NEPA process, the BLM 

is required to characterize any 

potential environmental effects 

from actions it authorizes and 

to offer design and permitting 

options to eliminate or effectively 

mitigate any expected adverse 

environmental effects. 

The BLM is facing increasingly 

complex and critical water 

resource issues, such as drought 

and climate change, that affect its 

ability to authorize many activities 

and uses. For example, using 

water to develop new energy 

projects may influence instream 

flows that maintain ecosystem 

provisioning services and support 

fish habitat. The challenge for 

BLM managers is to decide which 

of the many competing activities 
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

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can be authorized within a given 

landscape.

The BLM is also facing mounting 

challenges, protests, and 

litigation from special interest 

groups regarding the effects of 

hydraulic fracturing and energy 

development on ground water and 

drinking water supplies and water 

quality. It is critical for the BLM 

to address these matters in order 

to: (1) appropriately authorize 

activities and uses consistent 

with FLPMA’s “multiple use” and 

“sustained yield” principles and 

FLPMA’s provisions to protect 

water resources and ecosystem 

values; and (2) ensure the BLM 

is in compliance with the CWA. 

Addressing these matters directly 

should increase confidence and 

certainty in the BLM’s planning and 

NEPA processes, benefiting the 

BLM, its government partners, and 

other stakeholders.
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

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2. Emphasis, Perspective, 

and Approach

2.1 A Watershed Emphasis

A watershed boundary is 

delineated using the simple 

concept of which way a drop 

of water moves when it hits the 

ground. However, a watershed 

is much more than water moving 

downslope with gravity. In the 

1860s, explorer and scientist 

John Wesley Powell spoke of a 

watershed as “that area of land, 

a bounded hydrologic system, 

within which all living things 

are inextricably linked by their 

common water course and where, 

as humans settled, simple logic 

demanded that they become part 

of a community.” 

Watersheds can be as small as 

a footprint or large enough to 

encompass most of a continent, 

such as the Amazon River that 

drains half the rivers of South 

America into the Atlantic Ocean. 

For perspective, the Amazon 

River drains twice as much land 

area as the Nile and Mississippi 

Rivers combined and has more 

than 10 times the discharge 

volume (again, combined). Thus, 

the term watershed does not 

define a scale—that is, there is no 

such thing as “watershed scale” 

analyses—but it does describe a 

specific landscape and includes 

all the biotic and abiotic elements 

within and the greater landscape 

matrix beyond the bounds.

The United States and Puerto Rico, 

for example, have 2,267 defined 

subbasin watersheds (4th order, 

8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code). 

These watersheds cross county, 

state, and national boundaries 

and are often managed by a 

diverse group of public and private 

entities. A landscape approach to 

watershed management must 

include interagency collaboration. 

By increasing its collaborative 

efforts, the BLM can more effectively 

manage its trust resources by 

leveraging the millions of dollars 

spent annually toward conjoint 

watershed management and 

monitoring actions.

Watersheds are more than just a 

source of water. They represent 

an integrated landscape where 

what happens in the upper reaches 

affects everything downstream. 

The demands of downstream users 

(both people and fish) limit what 

can be done upstream. Using 

a landscape perspective when 

assessing potential management 

actions requires those who live, 

work, and play in the watershed 

to look beyond their particular 

piece of land or planned projects 

and take into account the 

surrounding matrix of lands that 

can or will be affected by their 

actions. Roads, dams, gravel pits, 

parking lots, irrigation ditches, 

and neighborhoods all alter the 

volume, timing, and flow rate of 
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

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water—all aspects of ecosystem 

services. A landscape perspective 

accounts for changes to the 

efficiency of ecosystem processes 

and design plans accordingly, 

eliminating the socially and 

economically unacceptable 

changes and mitigating the 

remaining to a level accepted by 

stakeholders.

Local and global societies extract 

water, timber, minerals, and a 

vast number of other ecosystem 

services from their surrounding 

landscapes. Even if the BLM does 

not use this terminology, society as 

a whole is absolutely dependent 

on the continued provision of 

goods and services from the 

ecological system. This concept 

continues to gain recognition 

in social and scientific settings 

as the emergent deleterious 

effects of mismanaging water 

resources become more apparent 

in the economy. The increased 

understanding and awareness of 

the value of ecosystem services 

has prompted the global water 

community to take steps toward 

managing landscapes (watersheds) 

to support socially acceptable 

and sustainable water uses. With 

urban populations growing and 

water demands on the rise, the 

BLM must act to ensure that the 

ecological benefits, demanded by 

society and provided by resilient and 

intact ecosystems, remain available.

2.2 A Landscape Perspective

To optimize the continued 

provision of ecosystem services 

across BLM-managed watersheds, 

the agency needs to promote the 

understanding of:

n The social, economic, and 

ecological context of any 

proposed management action 

with respect to the landscape, 

including watersheds, to 

potentially affected stakeholders.

n The current status and 

anticipated trajectory of 

ecological resources and systems 

of interest.

n The hierarchical segregation 

of organisms, communities, 

populations, and ecosystems, 

as defined by and scaled to a 

proposed management action.

n The resilience capacity of desired 

ecological resources and systems.

n The capacity of nondesired 

ecological resources and systems 

to resist management efforts.

n Change agents currently active 

and those anticipated to be 

active for the duration of an 

authorized action, including the 

monitoring period. 

Strategies to protect aquatic 

ecosystems include reducing water 

demand through conservation, 

managing water within the bounds 

of an ecological flow prescription, 

planning for the allocation of 

ecosystem services during periods 

of drought, and protecting source 

watersheds. The Water Resource 

Program’s approach provides 

information concerning water 

quality and quantity in the context 

of specific watersheds, making 
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

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these data readily accessible to 

decisionmakers when considering 

effects on landscapes and other 

ecological resources.

2.3 An Ecosystem 

Services Approach

The beneficial aspects of local to 

global ecological systems have 

been recognized for ages by 

individuals and communities, yet 

only recently has the ecosystem 

services concept been expanded 

to describe these benefits 

valued by society as a whole. An 

ecosystem service is any positive 

benefit that the ecological system 

provides to people and society. 

The benefits may be direct or 

indirect. In general, four major 

categories of ecosystem services 

have been identified: provisioning, 

regulating, cultural, and supporting 

services. Water resources provide 

many ecosystem services in each 

of the four categories.1

Provisioning Services

Provisioning services include any 

type of benefit to people that can 

be physically extracted from nature, 

such as food, water, and firewood. 

A society benefits from access 

to drinkable surface and ground 

water provided by ecosystem 

processes as water moves through 

soil into rivers, lakes, and aquifers.

Regulating Services

Regulating services include those 

basic ecosystem services that 

moderate natural phenomena, 

such as floods, wildfire, and 

weather patterns, and control 

the growth of plant and wildlife 

populations, including diseases. 

Most regulating services make a 

local environment appear stable, 

so people and societies can plan 

for the future with the expectation 

that the rains will come and the 

rivers will flow, but only in the 

anticipated ways. 

Cultural Services

Cultural services are primarily 

nonmaterial benefits that 

contribute to the cultural 

development and evolution 

of people and society. Water 

resources provide cultural 

services by being the source of 

inspiration for music and art, being 

incorporated into architecture, 

being used during cultural and 

spiritual events, and by being a 

source for recreational activities.

Supporting Services

Supporting services are essential 

background natural processes, 

such as photosynthesis, that are 

fundamental to the ecosystem 

itself. The water cycle (Figure 1) 

is a primary driver of ecosystem 

processes, aiding other supporting 

services such as nutrient cycling.

It is important that the BLM 

recognizes and articulates how 

potential authorized uses can 

affect ecosystem services. In 

this way, plans can be altered to 

avoid unmanageable changes, or 

adapted to mitigate unavoidable 

changes, such as climate change.

1 Island Press, “Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: A Toolkit for Understanding and Action” 

(Washington, DC: 2007).
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

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Figure 1. Diagram of the water cycle (www.pmm.nasa.gov)

2.4 Protecting Water 

Quality and Quantity

The BLM strives to sustainably 

manage the ecosystem services 

that regulate water quantity and 

affect water quality on landscapes 

under its jurisdiction. An increased 

emphasis will be placed on 

instituting measures to reduce 

pollutant loading into public 

waters, improving monitoring 

methods, and increasing 

data availability. It will also 

be important to establish 

and improve partnerships 

with stakeholders in a 

watershed, as well as to 

provide technical expertise 

on water resource and rights 

matters to internal and external 

partners. The BLM anticipates 

that the emphasis on protecting 

water supplies for sustainable 

uses is the best way to meet the 

Secretary of the Interior’s mission 

area #5 from the “Strategic Plan 

for Fiscal Years 2014-2018,” which 

is “Ensuring healthy watersheds 

and sustainable, secure water 

supplies.”

Considering a Changing Climate 

A changing climate very likely 

will affect the water cycle and all 

connected seasonal and decadal 

processes, including nutrient cycling 

rates and snowpack (Figure 2). The 

BLM should consider these effects 

when choosing management 

actions in order to successfully 

protect water supplies for current 

and future needs. Analysis of 

long-term datasets indicates 

that average air and ocean 

temperatures are changing; snow 

and ice are melting at an increased 

rate and factor into rising sea 

levels (along with increasing 

water temperatures).

Regionally, the amount and 

intensity of precipitation has 

become more variable, and 

those trends are expected to 

continue. Increased variability in 

precipitation rates, volume, and 

timing will affect streamflows, soil 

moisture regimes, and ground 
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

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water recharge. Subsequent 

changes in vegetative cover and 

biogeochemical cycling rates 

within a watershed, along with 

changing societal demands for 

water supply, are anticipated. 

Nutrient, sediment, and pollutant 

loading to streams and lakes will 

be influenced by wider water 

temperature ranges, adjacent land 

use actions, and changes in runoff 

volume and patterns. The effects 

of a changing climate will continue 

to influence BLM decisions that 

affect water resources and the 

ecosystem services they provide. 

Figure 2. Diagram showing examples of the effects of climate change (www.epa.gov)
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Water resources cross geographic and political 

boundaries and are important to numerous 

government entities, interest groups, and the 

general public.
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3. Collaborate to Protect and 

Restore Watersheds

Federal, state, and tribal 

governments, along with local 

agencies, have distinct roles and 

responsibilities under the legal 

frameworks governing water 

resources. Water resources 

cross geographic and political 

boundaries and are important to 

numerous government entities, 

interest groups, and the general 

public. Therefore, the BLM must 

collaborate with all levels of 

government, stakeholders in the 

private and nonprofit sectors, 

and members of the public to 

protect and use water resources 

on public lands.

3.1 Bureau of Land 

Management

The BLM manages the public 

lands under the principles of 

“multiple use” and “sustained 

yield” as described in FLPMA, 

which directs the BLM to manage 

the public lands in a manner that 

will protect the quality of water 

values, among others. Under 

FLPMA, the BLM must also ensure 

that BLM-authorized activities 

comply with the CWA and all 

applicable federal, state, tribal, 

and local water quality laws and 

regulations. One way in which the 

BLM manages water resources 

is by establishing goals and 

objectives in land use plans that 

must, at a minimum, comply with 

regulatory standards; these goals 

and objectives also may give effect 

to FLPMA’s instructions to protect 

water quality and supplies. 

The BLM maintains partnerships 

and coordinates efforts with other 

state and federal agencies that 

have responsibilities, such as:

n Managing federal lands, 

natural resources, and tribal 

trust resources.

n Managing waterways and federal 

water storage projects.

n Permitting and oversight of 

surface mining.

n Implementing and providing 

oversight of federal 

environmental legislation.

n Researching earth science and 

agricultural science.

n Assisting private agricultural 

producers.

3.2 Federal Partners

U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency 

(EPA): The EPA is the 

lead federal agency 

for the protection of human health 

and the environment, using tools 

such as the CWA and the Clean 

Air Act. The BLM complies with 

federal environmental laws in 

its management of lands and 

resources just as any other entity 
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and thus communicates with and 

occasionally partners with EPA 

offices and officials. An example 

of partnership with the EPA is a 

locally based nonpoint source 

control project for sediment and 

nutrients; the project includes 

multiple ownerships in a small 

watershed, including federal land 

managers, private landowners, and 

a state game and fish agency.

U.S. 

Geological 

Survey (USGS): 

As the lead federal water data 

collection agency, the USGS is 

often a partner with the BLM in the 

establishment and operation of 

surface water monitoring stations 

or stream gauging stations, where 

quantity and quality of surface 

water are measured.

U.S. Forest Service 

(USFS): The USFS is 

often a partner with 

the BLM because 

of the close proximity of many 

national forests and grasslands 

to BLM-administered land. An 

example of partnership with 

the USFS is collaboration of a 

watershed assessment on both 

BLM- and USFS-managed land; 

the watershed is experiencing high 

peak flows and high suspended 

solids loading, causing problems 

for a community water system at 

the bottom of the watershed.

National Park Service 

(NPS): The NPS also 

manages many tracts 

of land adjacent to land 

the BLM considers for permitting: 

for example, a coal-bed methane 

well. The BLM will often solicit 

concerns from another agency if 

the potential effects appear to be 

significant for the management 

objectives of that agency. Stipulations 

for the development may include 

provisions that are deemed critical 

to protect adjacent resources.

U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (USACE):

The USACE is the lead 

federal agency for permitting work 

in navigable waters and wetlands 

of the United States; therefore, 

it is important for the BLM and 

those seeking permits to conduct 

relevant activities on BLM land 

to work in coordination with the 

USACE. Relevant activities that 

may require coordination with 

the USACE include any work in 

navigable waters and wetlands or 

for fish habitat improvements.

Bureau of 

Reclamation 

(BOR): The 

BOR is a partner with the BLM 

in its role as the lead agency in 

the Colorado River Basin Salinity 

Control Program, in which the 

BLM reduces salt loading to the 

Colorado River by plugging saline 

wells and performing nonpoint 

source sediment and salinity 

control efforts. The BOR is also 

often a partner in the management 

of dispersed outdoor recreation at 

major federal reservoirs.

Bureau of Indian 

Affairs (BIA): The BIA 

and numerous tribal 

councils are assisted by 
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11

the BLM in several ways, including 

the BLM’s technical support to the 

Department of the Interior’s tribal 

trust management responsibilities 

(e.g., in the assessment, leasing, and 

development of energy resources).

U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (USFWS):

The USFWS is the 

lead federal agency 

for ensuring compliance with 

the Endangered Species Act. 

The USFWS frequently assists 

the BLM in providing biological 

consultations on planning and 

NEPA documents. They also assist 

the BLM in the development and 

review of habitat conservation 

plans and may partner on mutually 

beneficial vegetative or watershed 

management projects where 

USFWS refuge lands lie adjacent to 

BLM-administered lands.

Office of Surface 

Mining Reclamation 

and Enforcement 

(OSMRE): The OSMRE 

is the lead agency in preparing 

environmental impact statements 

(EISs) in compliance with NEPA for 

certain coal mine expansions. The 

BLM is often a cooperating agency 

in the development of the EIS.

Natural 

Resources 

Conservation 

Service (NRCS): The NRCS 

delivers a wide variety of program 

services, technical assistance, and 

federal cost sharing to private 

landowners on western landscapes 

in which the BLM is sometimes a 

manager of lands above or below 

the targeted private lands. In the 

planning of conservation assistance 

and watershed rehabilitation for 

these targeted lands, there is 

often exchange of information 

and sometimes cooperative 

implementation of projects 

between the two agencies.

Agricultural 

Research 

Service 

(ARS): The ARS is a major 

research arm of the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture 

and has capabilities in 

research on livestock grazing 

systems, rangeland hydrology 

and water quality, and soil 

science, including soil erosion 

and water movement through 

soils. The BLM has partnered 

with the ARS in many studies and 

continues to cooperate with them 

on topics of mutual interest.

Department of 

Transportation (DOT):

From time to time, the 

BLM may be asked to 

work with the DOT and one of its 

agencies. For example, the BLM 

may be asked to work on a federal 

highway project requiring a 

gravel source adjacent to BLMmanaged land. 

Department of 

Defense (DOD): 

With its many military 

installations, the DOD 

is responsible for a significant 

acreage of land. The BLM has 

cooperative agreements with the 

DOD for some land management 

responsibilities at some of these 
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

12

installations. For example, the 

BLM may agree to operate 

the livestock grazing leasing 

program or other specific resource 

management programs for a 

particular military installation.

3.3 Tribes

Indian tribes exercise inherent 

sovereign powers over their 

members and territory. The 

BLM works with tribes on a 

government-to-government basis 

to address any water-related 

matters affecting specific Indian 

tribes using BLM lands or 

tribes affected by activities on 

those lands.

3.4 State and Local 

Agencies

BLM state, district, and field offices 

also participate in partnerships and 

maintain relationships on a state or 

local level with numerous agencies, 

entities, groups, and institutions 

(e.g., universities) with water 

resource responsibilities or aquatic 

research interests. Partnerships 

with states can be with various 

agencies of state government, 

such as departments of lands, 

fish and game, natural heritage 

programs, natural resources, 

etc. These partnerships and 

relationships vary by geographic 

location and management issues 

and can be very effective in 

achieving management objectives, 

leveraging funding, reducing 

conflict, and obtaining access to 

additional technical expertise. 

Additionally, the BLM may work 

with various entities on a local level 

to promote public awareness of 

the importance of responsible 

use and practices on public 

lands to maintain and improve 

water resources.

The CWA assigns primary 

regulatory responsibility for 

national water quality to the EPA. 

While the EPA has established 

national water quality standards 

to protect public health and 

welfare, most states, some tribes, 

and some local water regulatory 

agencies are responsible for 

implementing, maintaining, and 

enforcing those water quality 

standards and complying with 

other CWA regulations within their 

respective jurisdictions. These 

agencies have established their 

own water quality regulations, 

which may be more, but not less, 

stringent than the federal standards.

3.5 Other BLM Programs 

and Initiatives

Other BLM programs and 

directorates, such as the Riparian 

and Fisheries Programs and the 

National Landscape Conservation 

System and Community 

Partnerships Directorate, 

contribute routinely to the Soil, 

Water, and Air Program’s goals 

and objectives for water resources. 

The Soil, Water, and Air Program 

is actively pursuing ways to 

integrate the goals of this strategy 

into all BLM programs. Quarterly 
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

13

issue forums are open to all BLM 

programs; integrated site visits are 

encouraged; and opportunities 

to pool resources for projects 

and training are welcomed. The 

Soil, Water, and Air Program is 

available to assist other programs 

with technical expertise, training 

programs, and projects and is 

anticipating learning from other 

programs as the aquatic aspects 

of the BLM’s land management 

responsibilities are integrated.
This strategy is 

designed to position 

the BLM’s Water 

Resource Program 

as a leader in 

protecting water 

resources, while the 

BLM continues to 

meet its multiple 

use and sustained 

yield principles for 

managing public 

lands, including 

authorizing activities 

needed to meet 

increasing demands 

for resources 

and recreational 

opportunities.
BLM WATER RESOURCE PROGRAM STRATEGY 2015–2020

15

4. Goals and Objectives

This strategy is designed to 

position the BLM’s Water Resource 

Program as a leader in protecting 

water resources, while the BLM 

continues to meet its multiple use 

and sustained yield principles for 

managing public lands.

The strategy includes six 

overarching goals:

4.1 Goal 1: Increase 

proactive measures taken 

to reduce the introduction 

of traditional pollutants to 

water resources.

The BLM will adopt proactive 

approaches to manage water 

resources on a watershed basis, 

address challenges resulting 

from more stringent regulatory 

standards, respond to increasing 

human population growth and 

urbanization, and assess requests 

for mineral resource development 

of public lands. This will require 

the BLM to collaborate with 

all stakeholders to maintain or 

improve overall water quality and 

prevent violations of regulatory 

standards. The BLM’s water 

quality monitoring activities are 

intended to inform and support 

the ultimate objective of limiting 

discharge of pollutants and 

sediments into waters.

In support of this goal, the BLM will:

n Continue to develop policies to 

reduce pollutant and sediment 

discharges from fluid and 

solid mineral development 

and production.

n Increase the use of cost-effective 

best management practices, 

technologies, and compliance 

standards across BLM programs.

n Continue to work with 

stakeholders when developing or 

revising resource management 

plans (RMPs) to create effective 

water resource goals and 

objectives to maintain or 

improve water quality and 

increase RMP effectiveness.

4.2 Goal 2: Incorporate 

collaborative, regional 

watershed resource 

assessments into BLM 

standard practices.

BLM resource decisions will be 

improved by incorporating a 

landscape approach to planning 

with an emphasis on collaborative 

watershed assessments.

In support of this goal, the 

BLM will:

n Improve the understanding of 

hydrologic flow systems and the 

interaction of ground water with 

surface water.
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16

n Implement watershed 

assessments that include 

anticipated effects of climate 

change; integrate rapid 

ecoregional assessment 

information when available; 

and use ecosystem services 

valuations in all planning and 

decisionmaking processes.

n Complete the watershed 

assessment handbook.

n Use collaborative watershed 

workgroups to resolve problems.

n Use watershed assessments and 

ecosystem-based management 

to address implementation of 

Executive Order 13547 (National 

Ocean Policy) where appropriate.

4.3 Goal 3: Improve the 

breadth, depth, and 

efficiency of water quality 

monitoring and the 

effectiveness of 

subsequent analyses.

Water resource managers and 

regulatory agencies request 

increasingly complex analyses 

to assess current conditions 

and increased supply 

demands for water. These 

analyses can sometimes be 

duplicative and expensive. 

The BLM is developing 

standard indicators that will 

address large watershed or 

landscape resource planning 

needs through the National Aquatic 

Monitoring Framework, a component 

of the Assessment, Inventory and 

Monitoring (AIM) Strategy. 

In support of this goal, the BLM will:

n Continue to work with the 

AIM implementation team to 

develop aquatic indicators and 

complete assessment, inventory, 

and monitoring criteria where 

appropriate.

n Conduct collaborative water 

quality assessment and 

monitoring activities with state 

and federal agencies.

n Continue to prioritize and meet 

regulatory requirements.

n Develop guidance to assist 

field offices with policy and 

procedures for water quality 

matters, incorporating regular 

reporting requirements so that 

data are readily available 

for analyses.

n Assess baseline conditions 

prior to specific restoration 

and authorized use activities so 

effects (positive or negative) 

can be accurately reported 

and analyzed.

4.4 Goal 4: Improve 

the availability of and 

access to water quality 

monitoring data.

Water quality and quantity 

monitoring data support and 

inform BLM resource decisions. For 

example, prior to authorizing use 

activities, the BLM uses monitoring 

data to establish baseline 

conditions, evaluate trends, 

and assess potential effects on 

water resources from authorized 
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17

activities. Other public and private 

organizations, including several 

federal organizations, use water 

quality monitoring data to study 

long-term trends. In addition, 

federal and state regulators use 

water quality monitoring data to 

designate impaired water bodies. 

Robust and systematic processes 

are lacking for storing, managing, 

and sharing water quality and 

quantity data within the BLM 

and among various agencies 

and stakeholder groups. Often, 

significant time and resources are 

expended to compile data from 

various sources when conducting 

assessments and analyses. Many 

of these efforts are redundant, 

as they are conducted for each 

individual project within the same 

geographic area.

In support of this goal, the BLM will:

n Expand the use of portable 

instruments to address data 

collection needs.

n Transition to the use of mobile, 

electronic data capture 

technologies.

n Improve the efficiency of data 

collection, reduce overall costs, 

and leverage resources through 

cooperative arrangements across 

field offices and resource 

programs, with other agencies, 

and through collaborative 

partnerships.

n Evaluate viability of using a 

national database to warehouse 

data that can be accessed using 

geospatial analysis technologies. 

4.5 Goal 5: Improve 

relationships with other 

agencies and stakeholders. 

Collaboration among BLM offices, 

other federal land management 

agencies, the EPA, state and 

other water regulatory agencies, 

and stakeholders is essential for 

the sustained use and long-term 

protection of water resources. 

Collaboration can be challenging 

because (1) each entity has unique, 

often competing, sometimes 

conflicting responsibilities; and 

(2) stakeholders bring diverse 

perspectives to water resource 

management decision processes. 

The BLM’s land use planning 

and NEPA processes offer 

opportunities for collaboration 

on specific decisions that affect 

water resources, particularly with 

agencies that have environmental 

quality and protection oversight 

responsibilities. Other 

opportunities for collaboration 

include water monitoring data 

collection, water quality and 

quantity modeling efforts, 

selection of appropriate best 

management practices and erosion 

control measures, and regional 

water quality planning activities.

In support of this goal, the BLM 

will strive to fulfill the following 

objectives:

n Increase collaboration with other 

federal land managers, the EPA, 

and appropriate state agencies.

n Increase collaboration in 

addressing drought conditions. 
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The BLM will become an active 

partner in the EPA-led National 

Drought Resilience Partnership.

n Engage partners in planning 

and management efforts to 

support regional water 

quality improvement. 

n Engage youth and provide 

outreach opportunities that 

emphasize water resource issues 

and protection.

n Continue to participate 

in regional, interagency 

workgroups and partnerships 

to build working relationships, 

share information, and avoid 

duplication of efforts. Such 

efforts include the: - Western States Water Council, 

which is a group of 18 states 

that promotes the exchange 

of information, serves as a 

forum to discuss western 

regional water quality matters, 

and shares resources for the 

common benefit of members. 

- Sustainable Water Resources 

Roundtable, which promotes 

sustainability of the nation’s 

water resources through the 

evaluation of information, 

development and use of 

indicators, targeting of 

research, and engagement 

of people and partners to 

improve the management, 

conservation, and use of 

water and related resources. 

Members include federal, 

state, corporate, nonprofit, and 

academic sectors. 

4.6 Goal 6: Enhance 

and maintain the BLM’s 

technical expertise relevant 

to water resources.

BLM managers require access 

to sufficient expertise and 

information to make informed and 

effective land use planning and 

resource decisions, assess resource 

conditions, comply with changing 

regulatory requirements, and 

develop effective relationships with 

stakeholders. The BLM is facing an 

increase in both the volume and 

the technical demands of the work 

required to meet applicable legal 

requirements, emerging stressors, 

and the goals of this strategy.

In support of this goal, the 

BLM will strive to fulfill the 

following objectives: n Increase the number of BLM 

water resource specialists, 

including hydrologists, 

ecologists, and aquatic 

biologists. Additional specialists, 

such as water rights managers 

and riparian or wetland 

specialists, are needed to ensure 

that the BLM has sufficient 

expertise to address and 

resolve water resource matters 

associated with the increasing 

use and development of 

public lands.

n Increase the effectiveness of 

water resource specialists and 

line managers by ensuring 

access to relevant information 

and basic training.
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n Develop training courses to 

improve comprehension and 

awareness of management, 

technical, and regulatory water 

resource matters. Staff also 

will be encouraged to attend 

training courses available 

through other agencies to 

increase knowledge and build 

personal working relationships.

n Develop and issue water 

resource program guidance to 

ensure consistent approaches 

are used, and provide references 

for water contacts and line 

managers to address technical 

and process questions, including 

the water quality manual, 

water rights manual and 

handbook, and watershed 

assessment handbook.

n Increase internal communication 

and interaction with the 

Energy, Minerals, and Realty 

Management Directorate and 

the National Landscape 

Conservation System 

and Community 

Partnerships Directorate, 

in collaboration with the 

Fisheries and Riparian 

Programs, to address 

water resource matters.

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5. Summary

The goals and objectives described in this 5-year strategy will enable 

the BLM Water Resource Program to meet challenges posed by 

the increasing demand for resource development and recreational 

opportunities on public lands. This strategy will enable the BLM 

to continue to protect water resources while carrying out FLPMA’s 

multiple use and sustained yield mandate for managing public lands. 

New emphasis on integrated approaches to address resource issues, 

provide quality data, and improve monitoring and reporting will be 

critical to its success. Collaborative relationships with other agencies 

and stakeholders, plus heightened water resource expertise within the 

BLM, will be equally important. The strategy also offers opportunities 

for continual learning that can inform the BLM’s water resource 

activities and increase awareness of water resource issues.

The mention of company names, trade names, or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation 

for use by the Federal Government.