Tools and Guides

"This new watershed planning toolbox is intended to leverage modern data sources and help local farming communities better address soil and water conservation needs."

"Are you interested in getting more agricultural conservation practices on the ground to help protect sources of drinking water? If you’re working at the state level, a natural ally is the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist’s office (part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture).

This toolkit, developed as a result of extensive collaboration between members of the Source Water Collaborative and the NRCS, offers a step-by-step approach."

"Disseminates information of interest to the water resources community and all concerned with our water resources."

"APLA is a spreadsheet model that simulates dissolved and sediment bound phosphorus loss in surface runoff."

This is a web-based tool to help producers easily calculate the quality of water flowing off their fields. Producers input variables about their field, such as slope, soil characteristics, nutrient and pest management, tillage practices, and, finally, conservation practices. Then WQIag takes the complex scientific information of these variables and synthesizes them into a single number. User will need to download Microsoft Silverlight to view the content.

Find various information about your (or any United States) watershed.

"The Federal Support Toolbox is a dynamic, evolving and comprehensive "one-stop-shop" water resources data portal with direct links to valuable databases, innovative programs and initiatives and state-of-the-art models and tools. This website also serves as a leading-edge resource for sharing ideas and water resources needs , best management practices , collaborations and partnerships and more for the water resources community in the U.S. and internationally."

"The Nonpoint Source (NPS) Outreach Toolbox is intended for use by state and local agencies and other organizations interested in educating the public on nonpoint source pollution or stormwater runoff. The Toolbox contains a variety of resources to help develop an effective and targeted outreach campaign."

"EPA’s National Stormwater Calculator is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States. Estimates are based on local soil conditions, land cover, and historic rainfall records."

CAST "is a web-based nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment load estimator tool that streamlines environmental planning. Users specify the Best Management Practices (BMPs) and their location. CAST builds the scenario and provides estimates of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment load reductions."