The Watershed Collaborative: Where did it come from?

Arkansas Basin Roundtable

May 11, 2016

Overview

Colorado’s Water Plan and the Basin Implementation Plans

How Watershed Health came into the picture

The Sales Pitch from the Arkansas Basin Roundtable

The Watershed Health Working Group

Where we are now

The Colorado Water Plan

May, 2013 Governor Hickenlooper’s Executive Order

Basin Plans by July, 2014

Basin Implementation Plan

CWCB Board meeting, July, 2013 in Alamosa, CO

West Fork Fire burning in Rio Grande basin

Watershed Health added as a category

Arkansas Basin Roundtable:

Basin Implementation Plan—

Watershed Health Working

Group

Presentation to the Metro RT

January 8, 2014

Overview

Watershed Health within the Basin Plan

Arkansas is an Importing and Exporting basin

Non-consumptive needs

Capturing the experience of others

Fire Suppression

Post-fire recovery

Forest health

Other watershed environmental services

Basin Plan Outline

Imports &

Exports

Historic

Diversions

Twin Lakes

Homestake

Fry-Ark

Watershed

Health crosses

basin &

jurisdictional

boundaries

Final

Priority with

Zones of

Concern

Arkansas

Headwaters

Watershed

with 5-mile

upstream distance

Watershed Health Plan format but tied to Non-

Consumptive Needs (JW Asso.)

Thank you Colorado Springs Utilities for

brainstorming this approach

Going Forward

Invite the Federal, State and NGO’s to

participate

Deliverables

Establish a common technical platform for

watershed health plans (HUC’s)

Generate a reference “HOW TO” library

Produce a preliminary Watershed Health Basin

Action Plan

GIS Mapping Support by Colorado Springs

Utilities Watershed Section

The Invitation

BYOC & BYOS

Bring Your Own Consultants

Bring Your Own Staff

Ark RT will fund the facilitation

# of meetings can be reduced by webinar

Integration of basin-to-basin efforts

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Collaboration to generate Plans that are similar

across basin boundaries

Funding through future WSRA grants (joint?)

Watershed Health Working Group

Facilitator was key

Participation was tremendous

Particularly the public agencies

Hard to get the discussion away from WILD FIRE

Session at Roundtable Summit March, 2014

Webinar a big success

Mapping Products

Wheel of Fire

The Group works its way through the process

Colorado Water Plan Figure 7.1-3

“The Arkansas Basin illustrates a process with a strong emphasis on pre-disaster preparedness through collaborative dialogues with potentially affected parties”

Watershed Health Toolkit

Contents

“The following documents are included in this tookit to assist other roundtables, watersheds and communities in starting down the path toward improved watershed health:”

http://www.arkansasbasin.com/arkansas-bip

Watershed Health Toolkit

Color coded tools

Progression of Authority

Action Plan

CUSP Bylaws

Where We Are Now

Watershed Health Working Group now Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative

Coalitions and Cooperatives (COCO)

Watershed Health Coordinator

Draft a Strategic Plan

Questions or Comments