Individual monitoring strategies, assessments and plans will necessarily be developed for each basin; however, the Framework Document will spell out how these processes will proceed.

The interagency Watershed Framework Workgroup will design and implement the framework to facilitate the transition from a program-centered to a resource-based approach. The framework design will reflect the following watershed resource management goals:

• Goal 1: Conserve and enhance public health.
• Goal 2: Conserve and enhance watershed ecosystems.
• Goal 3: Support watershed resource use to achieve water quality standards and conservation goals.
• Goal 4: Conserve and improve ambient conditions.
• Goal 5: Reduce or prevent pollutant loadings and other stressors.

Furthermore, to attain these goals, the framework will be designed to accomplish the following operational objectives:

1. Increase communications and consensus among state programs and other stakeholder groups to improve understanding of watershed ecosystems, strengthen information and data exchange, share expertise and tools and develop and implement integrated solutions;
2. Identify indicators of watershed integrity to support sound, scientific assessments of watershed resources and establish watershed management priorities to guide integrated efforts;
3. Implement integrated solutions by coordinating regulatory (standards, permitting, monitoring, enforcement and federal reporting) and non-regulatory (planning, technical assistance and outreach) activities on targeted watersheds or problem areas within watersheds;
4. Provide a forum for program networking to manage changes in program funding, leverage and share common resources and help obtain increased support;
5. Develop stronger partnerships with regional, county and local governments to better incorporate best management practices and address multiple resource management objectives within watersheds; and 
6. Coordinate public communication and education forums, coordinate existing means and develop new avenues for individual and group participation in watershed management, and promote stronger resource conservation ethics.

Major Elements:

• Stakeholder involvement: a stakeholder might be any agency, organization or individual that has an interest in watershed management. This might include other state agencies (e.g., Divisions of Waste Management or Air Quality, Department for Fish and Wildlife Resources, Kentucky Geological Survey), federal (e.g., U.S. Geological Survey, Natural Resources Conservation Service), local (e.g., city or county governments), or non-governmental organizations (e.g., Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Club, Kentucky Waterways Alliance). Avenues for public participation include public forums, monitoring, plan development and review and implementation.
• Basin-wide management units: these units are large-scale basins, e.g., Kentucky River, Green River, etc., that serve as resource units toward which monitoring and management strategies will be focused. The general idea is to focus resources and attention at a more concentrated area in a more coordinated fashion with the various stakeholders so that better utilization of resources, i.e., tax dollars, time, information, etc., can be achieved.
• Statewide basin management cycle: a five-year cycle has been established wherein management activities phase from one basin unit to the next. Activities within a basin unit include:
  • Scoping and information gathering (monitoring) - Includes communication of current status of a basin to the public and collecting additional information on the condition of the basin as a basis for the watershed priority formula.
  • Basin assessment - Data analysis and summary.
  • Prioritization and targeting of resources - This formula is an interagency tool for prioritizing watersheds within a basin for further action, based upon a rating system that considers both human health and ecological health for both restoration and protection goals. It provides a basis for decision making and targeting of program resources.
  • Development of management strategies and plans - A basin management plan serves as the document for summarizing information on the basin, documenting proposed strategies for addressing problems and communicating to the public the status of watersheds.
  • Implementation - A "tool box" of implementation activities serves as a resource for addressing various environmental problems.

One or more of the above activities occur in all of the basins simultaneously once the basin approach is fully implemented. However, activities are staggered so that personnel in various fields of expertise will not be spread too thin, but can focus their efforts on the basin at hand.

Benefits:

• More direct focus on the resource to be protected, tailored to the region- and basin-specific problems and conditions that may be present.
• Coordination among programs and agencies that perform similar duties, thus stretching tax dollars and man-power.
• Improved capabilities to address complex environmental issues that cross agencies' jurisdictions.
• Improved basis for management decisions as better coordination of monitoring is established and more information is gathered on a specific basin.
• Consistency and continuity is encouraged as an initial framework is prepared and applied evenly to all basins in a systematic and sequential fashion.
• Opportunities for data sharing enhanced as agencies and organization improve communication and coordination.
• Enhanced public involvement as agency solicits stakeholder input and participation.
• Encouragement of innovative solutions with input from the various stakeholders, especially at the local level.