Vision and Goals

Goals (continued)

• Provide clean waters that support viable fish and wildlife populations, domestic water use, safe drinking water, functioning riparian areas, and recreation use.

The objective of the Clean Water Act “is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.”

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) requires BLM planning to comply with state and federal water pollution control laws. The Clean Water Act requires that all Resource Management Plans be consistent with state water quality standards.

The Clean Water Act also allows governors to specify BLM as a designated management agency. BLM thus becomes responsible for implementing state developed water quality management plans on public lands it administers. Beneficial uses of clean water commonly designated on BLM-managed streams include fish and aquatic species, domestic water supply, fishing, and recreation.

The Endangered Species Act recognized the link between water resources and species in its statement that “federal agencies shall cooperate with State and local agencies to resolve water resource issues in concert with conservation of endangered species.”

The Safe Drinking Water Act was originally passed by Congress in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply. The law was amended in 1986 and 1996 and requires many actions to protect drinking water and its sources: rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and ground water wells.

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency sets standards for drinking water quality and oversees the states, localities, and water suppliers that implement those standards.

Every state must conduct an assessment of its sources of drinking water (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and ground water wells) to identify significant potential sources of contamination and to determine how susceptible the sources are to these threats.

• Maintain the capacity of soils to function for sustained timber yield.

The O&C Act requires that timber lands be managed for permanent forest production. The BLM will maintain the capacity of soils to function for sustained biological productivity, environmental quality, and to promote plant and animal health.

• Prevent Introduction of invasive species and provide for their control to minimize impacts to economic , ecological, and human health.

Invasive plant management is an inherent part of maintaining healthy forest ecosystems associated with BLM-managed lands in western Oregon. Invasive plants have been identified as a significant threat to habitat and species diversity.

Several federal acts and statutes support the Invasive Species Executive Order 13112 of February 3, 1999, which addresses the need “to prevent the introduction of invasive species and provide for their control and to minimize the economic, ecological, and human health impacts that invasive species cause.