Products 
APM IB (GPRA # 202) FY03 Classification frameworks for geographic regions, watersheds, 
water-body, and habitat scales (MED, GED). 
Benefit of Products 
A classification framework will provide regional. State, and Tribal regulatory authorities a tool to 
collapse the over 40,000 water bodies requiring TMDLs into a more manageable number of 
similar units or water body classes. With defined water body classes, a TMDL template for 
remediating the impairment could be created which could then be applied to all of the water 
bodies within the class with minor adjustments. This would eliminate the need for 40,000 
unique TMDLs. 
Classification frameworks will also help to regionalize criteria development or definition of 
thresholds for impairment. This would improve the applicability of criteria to specific sites or 
classes of sites and lower the error rate in identifying impaired or threatened aquatic ecosystems. 
In particular, a watershed classification scheme within a regional framework will help to 
integrate and coordinate the 303(d) listing process at the watershed scale. 
Project Title i. Diagnostic Tool Development and Application through Regional Case Studies 
Project Coordination and Resources (36.55 FTEs: FY03: AED-3.25, GED-1.5, MED-8.4 [total = 
13.15]; FY04: AED-7.8, GED-2.5, MED-13.1 [total = 23.4]) 
Objectives 
• Develop diagnostic tools for single and multiple stressors; 
• Develop forecasting models; 
• Illustrate the application of diagnostic methods, tools and models for single and multiple 
stressors, including forecasting models; 
• Provide input to regional decision-support systems; 
• Demonstrate how assessment results can be extrapolated across regions, watersheds, and 
water bodies, and biological levels of organization; and 
• Illustrate how stressor-response relationships vary among different classes of systems in a 
predictable fashion. 
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