Advancing Water Resources Research and Management

Internet-based Watershed Information Network (WIN)

Author: Karen Klima¹

The Internet-based Watershed Information Network (WIN) (http://www.cleanwater.gov/win/) is a road map to water information and services to help communities protect and restore water quality. Included is information on programs, financial assistance, regulations, planning, environmental data, and watershed conditions. A tremendous amount of water quality information is now easier to find and understand, and new information and features are continually being added.

WIN was called for under the 1998 Clean Water Action Plan to improve information and public understanding of water quality. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Interior (DOI), the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the NOAA, in cooperation with others, are building WIN to consolidate federal, state, and local information on water and watershed programs and services.

WIN provides several paths to information to accomodate users with varying needs. The homepage is organized by general questions that a newcomer can browse: what is my watershed address; what is the health of my watershed; what data, maps and assistance are available for my watershed; how do I start a watershed team; what assistance and training; and what are the basic laws related to water. The experienced "power" user can go directly to search tools or maps to locate specific places, data, information, and services.

The answers to the questions on WIN's homepage are provided by interfaces to major water-based web sites such as: EPA's Surf Your Watershed, Adopt Your Watershed, American Heritage Rivers, and Index of Watershed Indicators; USGS's Science in Your Watershed; and Know Your Watershed provided by the Conservation Technology Center in partnership with USDA. WIN users can search or add to its catalog of links to thousands of web sites related to water by key word, geographic coverage, and source/organization.

Using WIN: A Tutorial

The following demonstration (attached) will show you how WIN can be navigated to answer the following questions:

General
How do I locate my watershed or another place?
What geographic-specific web pages are available nationwide?
Where does my drinking water come from?
What is the condition of water resources in your watershed?
What water resources are monitored in the watershed?
What local networks and groups are working in the watershed?
What resources and tools are available?

Specific
Are there early signs of a Pfiesteria breakout in the Chesapeake? How do impaired waters reported in Kansas differ from those in neighboring states? What industrial and municipal dischargers live near me?

Plans for WIN

EPA will work with USGS and other partners to continue to provide WIN. Users and information providers will be encouraged to add and update information. Opportunities for customer feedback and suggestions will be maximized to ensure that WIN is useful and understandable.

Karen Klima
US EPA
Mail Code 4305F
401 M Street S.W.
Washington, DC 20460
202/260-7087
klima.karen@epa.gov

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