16 U.S.C. § 6543 — Watershed Condition Framework

(a) In general. The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service (called the "Secretary" in this section), may establish and maintain a Watershed Condition Framework for National Forest System land: (1) to evaluate and classify watershed condition, considering (A) water quality and quantity; (B) aquatic habitat and living organisms; (C) streamside and wetland vegetation; (D) roads and trails; (E) soil type and condition; (F) ecosystems that depend on groundwater; (G) relevant land-based indicators, such as fire patterns, catastrophic-fire risk, forest and rangeland vegetation, invasive species, and insects and disease; and (H) other significant factors the Secretary determines; (2) to identify for protection and restoration up to five priority watersheds in each National Forest and up to two in each national grassland, considering the effects of watershed condition on (A) wildfire behavior; (B) flood risk; (C) fish and wildlife; (D) drinking-water supplies; (E) irrigation-water supplies; (F) communities dependent on forests; and (G) other significant effects the Secretary determines; (3) to develop a protection-and-restoration action plan for each priority watershed that (A) considers restoration already under way and (B) includes at least (i) the main stresses causing the watershed's impaired condition; (ii) essential projects that will address those stresses and improve the watershed after completion; (iii) a proposed schedule; (iv) possible partners and funding sources; and (v) a monitoring and evaluation program; (4) to set priorities for protection and restoration work under each plan; (5) to carry out each plan; and (6) to monitor how effective the work is and to monitor indicators of watershed health. (b) Coordination. In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary must coordinate with interested non-Federal landowners and State, Tribal, and local governments in the relevant watershed, and must provide an active, continuing public-engagement process. (c) Emergency designation. Despite subsection (a)(2), the Secretary may identify a watershed as a rehabilitation priority in the Framework without using that subsection's process if a Forest Supervisor determines that (1) a wildfire significantly worsened the watershed's condition, and (2) emergency stabilization work by the Burned Area Emergency Response Team is not enough to return the watershed to proper function. This section does not define the quoted terms "Watershed Condition Framework," "National Forest System land," "Forest Supervisor," or "Burned Area Emergency Response Team."