A water quality action plan could highlight these activities and include commitments to work together in sharing information and technical expertise in the area of water quality. An example would be the establishment of buffers or areas to protect riparian habitat along drainage ways and stream corridors. The FHWA, the EPA, States, and State agencies share a common interest in encouraging responsible and efficient management of the resources involved in our nation's transportation system, and a need to protect and enhance these resources. The FHWA's interest included addressing the connection between land use development and transportation, and ways in which to minimize the impacts of highway runoff within a watershed. We need not only understand the technical aspects of highway design and maintenance, but also the impacts it has on the environment.
Roadways tend to bisect watersheds.
Water quality impacts attributed to erosion, sedimentation, and polluted runoff associated with highway construction, operation, and maintenance may be limited to the adjacent streams. In the watershed downstream, the impact from the road may be offset or diluted by the contributions of the various other land uses. But overall the watershed is impacted by the combined contributions of various land use activities. This indicates the need to take an approach to the water quality issues on a regional or watershed approach. This overall approach will incorporate various players and activities that can protect this valuable resource.