The Watershed Institute has been working with municipalities in four regions to develop regional Watershed Improvement Plans (WIP). Those regions are: Stony Brook Watershed,  Lower Millstone Watershed, Upper Millstone Watershed, and Assunpink Creek Watershed. In March 2025 four of the six municipalities in the Stony Brook Watershed agreed to prepare a regional WIP. We believe that developing regional approaches will provide benefits to the participating municipalities and will lead to more effective plans to reduce flooding and improve water quality. 

Building off the four regional watershed groups, The Watershed Institute developed a Guide to Developing Regional Watershed Improvement Plans.  This guide provides information useful to municipalities, counties, environmental organizations and others to replicate the process and develop their own regional watershed-based work groups.  The ultimate goal is for as many municipalities as possible to work with their watershed neighbors in developing regional WIPs. 

We would like to thank  Jim Cosgrove, Principal for One Water Consulting, LLC., Gabe Mahon, Bureau Chief, NJPDES Stormwater Permitting Program, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Dr. Daniel Van Abs for reviewing drafts of the guide and providing thoughtful feedback on the guide.