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Developing an Approvable Watershed Management Plan

Watershed management planning is essential to helping communities understand and address the impacts nonpoint source (NPS) pollutants have on local rivers, lakes, wetlands, and groundwater.  Watershed management plans are living documents that provide a strategy for local partners to address water quality goals to protect and restore waterbodies within a geographic area.

Michigan's NPS Program promotes the development of watershed management plans with the primary goals of restoring and protecting designated uses from the impacts of NPS pollutants.  Michigan's NPS Program provides technical assistance to stakeholders developing and implementing watershed management plans. 

The NPS Program approves watershed management plans based on the State's Clean Michigan Initiative (CMI) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) nine-element criteria.

Cover of Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters
Cover of Developing a Watershed Management Plan for Water Quality: An Introductory Guide

Watershed Management Plan Funding

Michigan’s NPS Program awards funding to develop, update, and implement approved nine-element watershed management plans. Examples of updates include field inventories and water quality monitoring that more finely identify NPS pollutants and sources. Current funding sources include Section 319 Implementation grants, Section 205(j) Watershed Planning grants, and Watershed Council grants.

Visit our Nonpoint Source Program page for recent and open grant opportunities.

Additional Nine-Element Watershed Management Plan Guidance

EGLE’s NPS Program continues to generate technical guidance on developing nine-element watershed management plans.

Contact Us

Pete Vincent, VincentP@Michigan.gov, 517-512-3969