A Comparison of Western Watershed Councils Presentation Prepared by Jeff Salt, Great Salt Lakekeeper
Presentation Overview Introduction Jordan River Watershed Council Lower Boise Watershed Council Clackamas River Basin Council Big Hole Watershed Committee Discussion, Questions
Introduction "The Watershed is the most logical unit for resource planning and land use decision making... John Wesley Powell in his report to Congress in 1877
Introduction What Is A Watershed Council? Watershed councils are locally organized, voluntary, nonregulatory groups established to improve the conditions of watersheds in their local area. Councils must represent the interests in the basins and be balanced in their makeup. (from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board)
Introduction What Is A Watershed Council? Watershed council means a voluntary local organization, designated by a local government group convened by a county governing body, to address the goal of sustaining natural resource and watershed protection, restoration and enhancement within a watershed. (ORS 941.890(15))
Introduction What Is A Watershed Council? Watershed advisory group means a group of individuals who wish to participate in an advisory capacity in revising and reprioritizing the state s list of impaired water bodies and in the development of TMDLs. (MCA 75-5-103(42))
Introduction Key Elements of Effective Watershed Councils Organized, managed by people from the local communities who have intimate knowledge of the watershed. Represents a balance of interested and affected persons within the watershed, especially landowners, user groups, and businesses. Brings varied interests together in a voluntary, nonregulatory setting to form a common vision for the ecological and economic sustainability and livability of their watershed.
Introduction Key Elements of Effective Watershed Councils Develops relationships and partnerships within local communities to generate resources, skills and support for watershed projects. Works across jurisdictional boundaries and across agency mandates to look at the watershed more holistically. Develops priorities for local projects.
Introduction Key Elements of Effective Watershed Councils Establishes goals and standards for future conditions in the watershed. Promotes community awareness of, and active participation in, watershed issues, planning, and projects. Gathers credible and useful information about watershed conditions.
Introduction Legal Requirements, Authority Varies from state to state. Federal requirement for area-wide water quality planning. Usually part of the implementation of a TMDL.
Section 208, Clean Water Act County Ordinances SLCC 17.06 Legal Authority
History of Area-wide Water Quality Planning in SL County 1975 1978: Salt Lake County Council of Governments 1978 1985: Salt Lake County Division of Water Quality and Pollution Control 1985 1992: SL County Health Department 1992 1997: Salt Lake County Commission 1997 Present: Salt Lake County Department of Public Works
History of Area-wide Water Quality Planning in SL County 1975 1978: Area-wide Water Quality Management Plan 1982: Update, Area-wide Water Quality Management Plan 2006 2009: Jordan River Water Quality Stewardship Plan 2015: Update, Jordan River Water Quality Stewardship Plan 1978 208 Plan 2009 JRWQSP
History of Jordan River Watershed Council 1978: Watershed Council Established 1998: Watershed Council became inactive Early 2000s: History uncertain 2006-2009: Watershed Council revived, reorganized Present: Organization uncertain
Membership, By Ordinance Federal Agencies (2) State Agencies (7) Local Agencies (9) Municipalities (16)
Membership, Current Federal Agencies (2) State Agencies (7) Local Agencies (9) Municipalities (16) Special Interests (8)
Mission The Jordan River Watershed Council is dedicated to the ecological and economic sustainability of the Jordan River watershed through the promotion of stakeholder involvement.
Purpose Water quality data collection and assessment. Public education and outreach. Ecosystem stewardship and restoration. Water quality planning.
Meetings The Council meets 4 times per year. The Council hosts an annual Watershed Symposium as one of the quarterly meetings.
Lower Boise Watershed Council
Lower Boise Watershed Council Watershed Facts The Boise River drains 1,290 square miles of rangeland, forests, agricultural lands, and urban areas. The lower Boise River itself is a 64-mile stretch that originates at Lucky Peak Dam to the east of Boise, and flows northwesterly through Ada and Canyon counties through the cities of Boise, Eagle, and Caldwell, Idaho. The river then flows into the Snake River near Parma, Idaho at the Idaho-Oregon border. Rangeland comprises 51% of the watershed; irrigated croplands and pasture together comprise 31%. In 2000, the population in Ada and Canyon Counties was about 432,300 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002), which is 33 percent of Idaho s population. Population in 2000 increased more than 46 percent over the 1990 population in these two counties.
Lower Boise Watershed Council History The organization was created in 1992 and incorporated in 1994 as a nonprofit corporation to oversee implementation of the Lower Boise River Water Quality Plan (LBRWQP).
Lower Boise Watershed Council Legal Authority The Lower Boise Watershed Council is created through authority granted by State statute. The Council is designated as the Watershed Advisory Group (WAG) for the watershed. The Council has certain legal responsibilities to advise Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on the attainability and status of beneficial uses for the river, develop and implement total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for pollutants, work with the larger Basin Advisory Group (BAG) to coordinate plans, and collaborate with DEQ to provide public outreach. Idaho Code 39-3615 Idaho Code 39-3616
Lower Boise Watershed Council Organization The Lower Boise Watershed Council is a 501(c)(3) taxexempt, non-profit organization dedicated to addressing water quality issues within the lower Boise River watershed.
Lower Boise Watershed Council Organization The Council is governed by a Board made up of watershed stakeholders. Board members serve a 3-year term with eligibility for additional, consecutive, 3year terms. In addition, the LBWC hires a consultant facilitator to assist with administrative and technical tasks. The Council currently does not have any fulltime, paid staff.
Mission To foster and support the protection and enhancement of water quality for the Lower Boise watershed, with the vision of supporting all appropriate uses in the Lower Boise River.
Lower Boise Watershed Council Purpose The Council is currently focusing on reducing sediment, bacteria, phosphorous, and temperature throughout the lower Boise River watershed. The Council functions as grant administrator for 319 grants awarded local agricultural owners and operators to improve water quality. The Council maintains an extensive monitoring program in partnership with state and federal agencies, especially the USGS. The Council also conducts public education and outreach regarding the watershed. The Council has published many water quality-related publications about conditions in the watershed.
Lower Boise Watershed Council Meetings The Council meets 10 times per year, on the second Thursday of the month. The Council convenes technical advisory committees on an asneeded basis, depending on the topic or issue.
Watershed Facts The Clackamas River basin encompasses nearly 1,000 square miles. The river hosts threatened and endangered species, boasts numerous recreation opportunities, and provides drinking water to almost 400,000 people. The Clackamas River is a tributary of the Willamette River. The watershed is home to the last significant run of wild, late winter Coho in the Columbia Basin.
History The Clackamas River Basin Council was formally established in 1996 by order of the Board of Clackamas County Commissioners. The Council was organized by watershed residents and stakeholders who started meeting at a local library to discuss concerns about conditions throughout the Clackamas River watershed and ways to protect and restore the river and its tributaries. The Council was supported by OWEB through watershed capacity grants and implementation of the Oregon Plan. Oregon Plan OWEB
Legal Authority 1. State Statute 2. Designation by the Clackamas Board of Commissioners, Board Order 96-660, October 1996. ORS 541.890(15) ORS 541.898 ORS 541.910 ORS 541.923
Organization The Council is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit organization. The Council is governed by a Board of Directors that can have up to 42 members, and a 6-member Executive Committee made up from the Board of Directors. 21 stakeholder categories, two people for each stakeholder category. The Council is managed by a staff of 5 full-time and 1 part-time employees with an Executive Director who oversees management of the organization and staff. Board Staff
Mission We foster partnerships for clean water and to improve fish and wildlife habitat and the quality of life for those who live, work and recreate in the watershed.
Monitoring/Assessment Program Restoration Program Purpose Riparian restoration (shading, planting, Invasive weeds and species removal and control) Instream restoration (hydrological improvements, habitat restoration) Public Education and Outreach Salmon carcass toss Stewardship Events Down The River Cleanup
Meetings The Clackamas River Basin Council hosts monthly Council Meetings the third Thursday of every month from 6:00-8:30 pm at the Mt. Scott Fire Station in Happy Valley. These meetings are open to the public and community members are encouraged to attend!
Watershed Facts Our river flows free for its entire 156 miles, surrounded by high, craggy Rocky Mountain peaks of the Continental Divide. It s a stronghold of traditional cattle ranching, rural communities and expansive public lands. Montana is wild and remote here. Nearly 2,000 residents call the Big Hole valley home, spread among its 2 million acres. In general, the valley bottom remains privately-owned. Highlands are publicly-owned by state and federal agencies. The Big Hole River is a headwater tributary of the Upper Missouri River.
History The Big Hole Watershed Committee was established in 1995 by local landowners and producers. The Committee was formed in response to threats of State management edicts due to extreme drought conditions and over allocation and withdrawals of irrigation water and federal intrusion to protect endangered Arctic Grayling. Committee members have strived to work to protect, restore and improve conditions along the Big Hole River through consensus decisionmaking and the philosophy of Shared Sacrifice, Shared Success. The Big Hole Watershed Committee has been successful at creating some of the state s most innovative and protective management strategies.
Legal Authority The Big Hole Watershed Committee is created through authority granted by State statute. MCA 75-5-703(1),(2)and(5) MCA 75-5-704 MCA 75-5-103(42) MCA 75-5-702(4)
Organization The Big Hole Watershed Committee is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created to support the communities of the Big Hole River. The Governing Board is composed local people that represent diverse interests and is made up of between 16 and 26 directors at any given time, 50% of whom must represent ranching. Representatives from local, state, and federal agencies participate as technical advisors. The Big Hole Watershed Committee is managed by three full-time staff, including an executive director. Board & Staff
Mission To seek understanding of the Big Hole River and agreement among individuals and groups with diverse viewpoints on water use and management in the Big Hole watershed.
Purpose We provide education, facilitate conversations and planning for issues in our area, and put meaningful restoration work on the ground. Big Hole River Incentive Program Program Big Hole River Drought Management Plan Plan Water Quality Assessment and Monitoring Program CCAA Program (Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances) CCAA Floodplain Mapping Public Education and Outreach
Meetings The Big Hole Watershed Committee meets monthly except in July and December. Meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month and are open to everyone and we encourage people to attend.
A Comparison of Western Watershed Councils Presentation Prepared by Jeff Salt, Great Salt Lakekeeper