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After Congress passes and the President signs a Wild and Scenic River Study Bill into law, a Partnership Wild and Scenic River Study can begin. PWSR studies are locally led, that is, local groups or communities organize the approach, content, and execution of the study, often with assistance from state and regional experts involved with river conservation or river-related resource management. National Park Service (NPS) is the federal agency partner for all Congressionally authorized PWSR studies. NPS provides financial and technical assistance to complete the local study, and the agency is responsible for producing a summary report back to Congress on the suitability and eligibility of river designation, as well as a description of the approach and outcomes of the local study. The authorizing legislation for your PWSR study may stipulate certain provisions, such as specific river segments to study, issues or content areas to evaluate, or certain groups or jurisdictions to include.

What do PWSR studies involve?

• Evaluation and documentation of eligibility for river designation
• Assessment and demonstration of suitability for river designation
• Public engagement to gauge and build local support for river protection
• If recommending designation, identification of eligible/suitable river segments and designation classification(s) for the segments

Evidence of local support

Partnership WSR studies require certain elements or products to meet suitability criteria for designation to demonstrate the local support and capacity to manage rivers:

• Development of a Comprehensive River Management Plan (or Stewardship Plan) to guide river management and protect the river values that serve as the basis for designation; plans characterize baseline conditions, document river-related “outstandingly remarkable values,” and recommend strategies for long-term protection or enhancement of river resources; plans are developed prior to PWSR designation
• Inventory or description of local and state regulations, non-regulatory measures, and capacities that exist to adequately protect river resources; this can be a stand-alone assessment or integrated in the River Management Plan
• Town-level legislative body votes endorsing the River Management Plan and river designation into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System

Timing and duration of the study process

Local PWSR studies typically last about three years, but many factors can affect the length of time needed to conduct and complete the overall study, including timing of funding awards, availability of information and data, additional data gathering efforts, town voting processes and formats, and local capacity. A separate National Park Service WSR Study Report is completed after the local study work is complete – typically at the conclusion of the local community vote process. The time it takes for NPS to prepare its Study Report, issue it for public comment, and deliver it to Congress can vary and is beyond the control of the local study group. 

Timing of key steps for some of the more recent PWSR studies and designations are shown below:

* Report prepared by NPS but not issued/released for public comment.
** Designation bills were introduced in Congress prior to completion of NPS WSR Study Report.

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