In recent years, Bay, river and stream restoration groups have been moving towards framing restoration projects in the context of larger watershed issues and opportunities.  In this way, impacts of individual projects can be maximized, and projects can be selected in a targeted manner.

In order to develop the type of framework that allows such targeting, watershed planning is needed.  Water quality and other problems in watersheds are caused by many factors, such as land use activities, point sources, storm water management problems, shoreline problems, contaminated mine drainage and even pet waste.  These problems originate in wide areas within the watershed, and some may require much larger, more expensive restoration projects to address than others.

Through watershed planning, restoration groups can begin to identify problem areas, identify what techniques would be required to address the problems, and estimate the resources necessary.  Watershed planning and management involves a number of other activities than simply restoration project selection and prioritization.  For example, encouraging public involvement, attracting technical assistance from experts, and monitoring project success should be part of the management scheme.

Following is a list of resources for watershed planning:
 -U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    -  Introduction to Watershed Planning Module
    -  An Introduction
    -  Watershed Funding
    - Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection
    - Top 10 Watershed Lessons Learned
    - Surf Your Watershed
    - Technical Tools for Watershed Management
 - Chesapeake Bay Program: Information on watershed management planning 
 - Community Watershed Dialogues
 - Center for Watershed Protection
 - USGS: Water Resources of the United States
 - USGS: Chesapeake Bay Activities