Land Use in Watersheds of Mixed Ownership: A Test for Cumulative Watershed Effects Analysis

摘要

The study is part of the National Network for Environmental Management Studies conducted under the auspices of the Office of Cooperative Environmental Management - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Federal and State law require protection of water quality from 'non-point sources' of pollution such as erosion resulting from growing and harvesting timber. Disagreement exists over how to control negative impacts of non-point source pollution. The controversy is exacerbated by the mixed ownership within a watershed by competing landowners, (Federal and private ownership). The issue: 'How can foresters predict water quality impacts from the accumulated effects of multiple land use activities undertaken in various holdings within a drainage.' The purpose of the study is to explain the issue as it relates to the State of California, and to define the steps that could be taken to implement a meaningful Cumulative Watershed Effect (CWE) analysis process. It is hoped that such a process will be applicable to other parts of the country, as well as to other forms of land use, such as grazing. The central dilemma is one of resource utilization, and involves conflicts of public versus private good, environmental versus economic well being, and short-term versus long-term costs and benefits.