Watershed-based permitting is being considered by federal and state regulatory agencies as an avenue for improving the quality of NPDES permits and their protection of aquatic resources, as well as increasing the efficiency of the permitting process. Achieving the complement of these goals will rely on increasing access to and the usefulness of data for permitters. This discussion begins with an overview of the information and data considered necessary for watershed-based permitting as compared to data typically used in the permitting process. The discussion then highlights the power of systems that both integrate data and make these data usable to permitters. Further, a process used to develop data integration systems is presented for its broader ability to contribute to positive institutional changes that improve program, agency, and multi-agency performance. Finally, an example GIS-based data integration system that has been recently developed with the State of Montana is summarized.
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