The North Coastal Watershed is a study in contrasts. The northern reaches of the North Coastal Watershed includes the southern tier of Hampton and the Seabrook saltmarsh complex, while further south, the Watershed is dominated by the rocky shores of Cape Ann, which provides the most distinctive rocky coastline in all of Massachusetts. The southern reach of the Watershed consists of an irregular coastline of rocky peninsulas, interspersed with embayments, pockets of salt marsh and vibrant estuaries. Offshore, the Watershed is complemented by numerous islands, ranging in size from small rocky outcroppings, to larger multi-acre sanctuaries.

The Watershed Action Plan

The North Coastal Watersheds Five-year Watershed Action Plan was completed on June 30, 2004. The Watershed Action Plan outlines the priorities of the NCW Watershed Team through 2009. It is available in three formats: on-line (HTML); PDF; and MS-Word. Click below for all three.

Watershed Action Plan - PDF and DOC Version

• Main document (1.2 Mb, 130 pages)
• NCW Action Plan Brief (Main document through Appendix C, 700 Kb, 46 pages)
• NCW Action Plan Appendices (Main document Appendix D through P, 500 Kb, 84 pages)
• Main document - MS-Word (2.4 Mb, 130 pages) - this is ready-to-print but does not include the high-quality cover nor map inserts.
• Full-color cover (1.1 Mb, 1 page)
• Four insert maps below (each 1 page, 11x17):

Watershed Action Plan - HTML Version

• Entire document (3.1 Mb, 130 pages, without high-quality cover and four map inserts)
  
  
• Executive Summary and Table of Contents
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Issues and Strategies
• 3. Public Input
• 4. Recommendations
  
  Appendices
  
  
• A. Organizational Background
• B. NCW Team Members
• C. Issues Background
• D. Previous Goals
• E. Previous Accomplishments
• F. Impaired Waters
• G. Funding Sources
• H. Subwatersheds and Municipalities
• I. Surface Water Quality Standards
• J. Designated Uses
• K. Permits and Registrations
• L. Relevant Government Agencies
• M. Potential buildout statistics
• N. MAPC Survey
• O. Bibliography
• P. Glossary
• Acknowledgements and Footnotes
  
  Other materials
  
  
• NCW Video in Shockwave Flash format, 30 minutes playing time (be patient while it downloads!)
• Macromedia website to download Flash player and Shockwave player
• Grow Smart North Shore NCW-recommended plan
• Join Discussion and Comment about the NCW Action Plan
• 2002 Annual Work Plan (or download same in MS-Word format)
• Annual Work Plans 1999-2003 plus supporting documents