The Anacostia River Restoration Program conducts water quality monitoring in support of four of the program's six goals. Following are some elements of the Anacostia monitoring effort as related to these program goals. It is important for the project team to recognize this possibility from the outset and to build into the project yearly evaluations and an agreed-upon halfway point where all aspects of the project can be revised if necessary. Highlight 18 presents mid-course corrections in the Rock Creek, Idaho watershed. Citizens and funding agencies tend to feel misled if they are surprised to learn at the end of a project that it is not going to work out as planned, especially if someone has promised them a total solution.
Regular evaluations can help detect problems early.
Different groups should evaluate each portion of the project independently using the same evaluation criteria that were agreed upon before the project began. A Management Effort in Three Acts Rock Creek is a tributary to the Snake River in an arid area of southern Idaho. The headwaters for Rock Creek lie in the Sawtooth National Forest, and the middle and lower reaches of the system feature intensive irrigation farming. Water is diverted from the Snake River, and the irrigation systems create the potential for impacts from irrigation return flows in addition to soil erosion and habitat alterations from cropping practices and livestock grazing. Each stage overcame major pollution problems and paved the way for additional goals to restore fully the integrity of Rock Creek.