Laura Blake, The Cadmus Group, Inc.

Jane Peirce, Massachusetts DEP Corey Godfrey, The Cadmus Group, Inc.

Doug Norton, EPA Office of Water

“Recovery Potential” Recovery potential is the likelihood of an impaired

water to re-attain a desired condition, given its:

Ecological capacity

Exposure to stressors

Social context affecting efforts to improve its condition

Recovery Potential Screening Developed by U.S. EPA to provide states with a means

to compare restorability and make strategic decisions for:

TMDL development

TMDL implementation

Stream restoration

Targeting 319 grants and other funds

Monitoring for water quality improvements

Many more!

Recovery Potential Screening (cont.)

4

Ecological Sub-score Stressor Sub-score Social Sub-score

Ecological metrics

Indicator 1

Indicator 2

Indicator 3

Indicator 4

Indicator 5….

Stressor metrics

Indicator 1

Indicator 2

Indicator 3

Indicator 4

Indicator 5….

Social context metrics

Indicator 1

Indicator 2

Indicator 3

Indicator 4

Indicator 5….

(Ecological + Social)

Stressor

Project Scope Staff involvement from 319, 303(d), CZM, DER

Selection of indicators for each of three categories:

Watershed ecological condition

Watershed stressors

Social capacity for restoration

Indicators compiled/calculated at both the HUC12 watershed and the SWMI subwatershed scale

84 Indicators Calculated 24 ecological metrics

Number of confluences, watershed % forest, stream corridor % forest, etc.

45 stressor metrics

Watershed % urban, dam density, water use intensity, etc.

15 social metrics

Protected land percentage, presence of water-based recreation, number of public water supply intakes, etc.

Rank Ordered Scores

Initial Screening Runs Targeting 319 funds

Prioritizing TMDL development and implementation

Prioritizing healthy watersheds for protection

Selecting impairment-specific restoration measures

Targeting 319 Funds (HUC12)

Hypothetical Scenario Hypothetical Scenario

Priority Urban Watersheds for Nutrient TMDL Development

Hypothetical Scenario

Healthy Watersheds (HUC12)

Hypothetical Scenario

Healthy Subwatersheds (SWMI)

Hypothetical Scenario

Targeting 319 Funds (SWMI)

Phosphorus Impaired Streams to Target for TMDL Development

Next Steps for Massachusetts Share with partners and convene a Recovery Roundtable to

encourage synergistic work: EOEEA MassDEP GIS, Wetlands, CAPS program, BWSC-NRD, DWM, DMS DFG/EER Riverways CZM

Potential Applications: Public outreach and education TMDL prioritization Assessment and monitoring decisions Healthy watersheds protection Selection of Farm Bill target watersheds Land acquisition decisions

EPA’s Recovery Potential Screening Website

http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/recovery/index.cfm

Contact Information Doug Norton, U.S. EPA, Norton.Douglas@epa.gov

Jane Peirce, MA DEP, Jane.Peirce@state.ma.us

Laura Blake, The Cadmus Group, Laura.Blake@cadmusgroup.com

Corey Godfrey, The Cadmus Group, Corey.Godfrey@cadmusgroup.com