The goal of the Clean Water Action Plan is to accelerate the progress this Nation has made in improving the quality of its waters since the passage of the Federal Water Pollution Act 1972, as amended.
Federal agencies manage large amounts of public lands throughout the country.
In the interest of protecting water quality, the Clean Water Action Plan directed Federal agencies to adopt a policy that will reduce water pollution from Federal activities and foster a unified, watershed-based approach to land and resource management. Implementation of the following proposed national policy will improve water quality and aquatic ecosystems on Federal lands and will ensure the use of a watershed approach to Federal land and resource management activities. We recognize that existing programs for watershed protection and improvement are currently underway and are producing positive results. This policy will enhance these programs by improving consistency among Federal agency programs. We recognize that those agencies without established programs will face an additional challenge to implement this policy and that the pace and level of implementation will vary by agency.