SMP Nuts and Bolts
Assess Conditions and Identify Risks
During this phase, stakeholders and/or researchers collect data and assess information on stream health and, if conducting an integrated water management plan (IWMP), the needs of water users. This table identifies common stream management plan (SMP) goals, possible key questions, and common assessment approaches and methodologies used to address SMP goals.
Assessments can document existing conditions and compare them to a reference state or a desired future condition. Assessments can also forecast future conditions based upon scenarios such as a hotter, drier climate, population growth, land use changes, or future water development.