Estuary Work Plans 



Five-Year and Annual 

 Work Plans 



Establishing long-term and annual estuary work plans ensures the 

 efficiency and coordination essential to the collaborative problem- 

 solving process of the National Estuary Program. This work plan- 

 ning mechanism encourages annual evaluations of current and 

 projected activities so that long-term plans can be modified or 

 redirected as necessary. 



EPA has established a three-level process to assist individual 

 estuary programs with planning and oversight of their activities and 

 to manage the funds available to the National Estuary Program. 

 The first, highest level planning is presented in a Five-Year State- 

 EPA Conference Agreement that is developed by each Manage- 

 ment Conference shortly after it is convened. This Agreement sets 

 out milestones to be achieved over the term of each program. 



Based on this Agreement, the Office of Marine and Estuarine 

 Protection (OMEP) sets budgetary targets for each Management 

 Conference when the fiscal year budget for the National Estuary 

 Program is announced. These targets are broad budgetary goals 

 for total expenditure by each estuary program (including the Na- 

 tional Estuary Program contribution). They are directly related to 

 the activities that are to be carried out by each Management 

 Conference in that year as specified in the Agreement. Given the 

 possibility that required activities may change during the course of 

 the characterization and CCMP development phases of the estuary 

 programs. Management Conferences may request that OMEP 

 reconsider targets agreed upon prior to the budget cycle. 



Annual Work Plans — a middle level of planning — are developed by 

 the Management Conference for each year using the budgetary 

 targets. These Annual Work Plans present progress to date, indi- 

 cate major program directions necessary to meet previously ac- 

 cepted milestones, document projects to be undertaken in the 

 upcoming year, and specify funds to be used to support the 

 projects. They also document the way in which 25 percent cost- 

 share requirement will be met. Annual Work Plans are similar to, 

 but not the same as. Assistance Agreements as outlined in EPA's 

 "Policy on Performance-Based Assistance" (May 31 , 1985). 



At the most specific planning level, a series of individual assistance 

 applications are prepared by potential recipients. On a project-by- 

 project basis, these applications describe in detail the work to be 

 done, who will do it, what will be accomplished and how, and the 

 costs and schedule for the work. Assistance applications are 

 essentially the same as other grant applications for EPA funds, but 

 the National Estuary Program has certain additional requirements, 

 mentioned below. 



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