Summary
Watersheds face threats from many directions beyond mining alone. Understanding the full range of threats — and recognizing that most stem from everyday land management decisions — is essential context for AML/AMD partnership work. Many of these threats interact with AMD to compound water quality problems.
Threats to Watershed Health #
A watershed approach highlights relationships among land management decisions, everyday actions, and watershed health. Common threats include pathogens, chemical pollutants, and invasive species, most caused by everyday activities:
- Clearing forested lands for housing developments
- Paving roads and driveways (increasing impervious surface and runoff)
- Over-applying fertilizers and pesticides to lawns and fields
- Overworking farmlands and timberlands
- Postponing maintenance on home septic systems
- Abandoned mine drainage — acid, dissolved metals, and sediment loads
Only by understanding these problems and reducing collective impacts can we assure healthy watersheds for current and future use. Source: EPA Office of Water, Protecting and Restoring America’s Watersheds, EPA-840-R-00-001.
Related Pages #
- The Watershed Approach
- Watershed Protection and Restoration
- Impacts of AMD (AML and AMD Basics)
- Water Pollution (Watershed Tools)
Source and Last Reviewed
Source: EPA Office of Water, Protecting and Restoring America’s Watersheds, EPA-840-R-00-001.
Last reviewed: 2026-03
Tags: planning, assessment, practitioner, volunteer, pa
