Office of Water

The Office of Water (OW) serves as the National Program Lead and principal advisor to the Administrator and provides Agency-wide policy, guidance and direction for the Agency’s water quality, drinking water, groundwater wetlands protection, marine and estuarine protection, and other water related programs. OW performs the following functions: - **National Program Leadership:** Sets national policy, direction and priorities for implementing statutory obligations and achieving clean and safe water. - **Policy Direction and Management:** Establishes national policy direction and priorities for the National Water Program (NWP) consistent with sound science and statutory mandates. - **EPA Region and Geographic Program Engagement and Coordination:** Engages and coordinates with the EPA Regions and Geographic Programs (e.g. Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico, Long Island Sound) to assure implementation and alignment of NWP priorities. - **Partnership with States and Tribes:** Establishes and maintains effective partnerships with States and Tribes consistent with the principles of cooperative federalism. Provides support and national oversight of state and tribal water programs. - **Research Collaboration:** Works with research institutions, federal partners and the Office of Applied Science & Environmental Solutions (OASES) to align and advocate for research priorities. Assures that OASES research aligns with OW priorities. - **Water Resource Security, Sustainability and Resilience:** Advances integrated water resource management strategies to assure robust and forward leaning strategies. - **Federal Leadership and Policy Alignment:** Facilitates and coordinates water policy, programs and actions with Federal partners to optimize impact and leverage resources. - **Surface, Groundwater and Source Water Protection:** Develops and implements programs and policies to protect the quality of surface water and underground sources of drinking water. - **Shared Accountability for Progress and Results:** Develops and implements systems and metrics to assure transparency and accountability within the NWP and with States and Tribes to demonstrate environmental status, progress and results.