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WATERSHED PLANNING

Watershed Planning

Achieving water resource goals within your watershed starts with a watershed plan: the documentation of existing conditions, identification of issues, and development of a strategy to address issues and protect resources. Watershed planning is important for municipalities wishing to protect quality and availability of drinking water sources. Many state and federal funding agencies require watershed-scale planning efforts in order to qualify for potential grant funding for your restoration or water quality projects. The watershed planning process can be complicated. Coldwater has the expertise to navigate the watershed planning process, to identify, interpret and collate the volumes of water quality data that exist, and the skills to coordinate the input from multiple watershed stakeholders. Coldwater’s work on 9-Element Plans and the City of Columbus’ Comprehensive Water Master Plan and Land Stewardship Updates are examples of our skills in this area. Our experienced staff will cast a wide net to gather and compile watershed data and to work with your local stakeholders to ensure that your plan meets your specific needs.  Core watershed plan elements typically include the following:

  • Summary of watershed characteristics including water quality and biological resources
  • Analysis of causes and sources of water quality impairment
  • Identification and documentation of critical areas
  • Defining strategic water quality goals and objectives
  • Describing potential implementation projects with sufficient detail to meet US EPA’s 9-required elements:
  1. Causes and sources of NPS pollutants
  2. Load reductions needed
  3. Management measures needed
  4. Technical and financial assistance needed
  5. Information/education component
  6. Implementation schedule and timeline
  7. Interim measurable milestones
  8. Indicators to measure progress
  9. Monitoring component

Coldwater provides all the plan components, including high-level graphics, maps, preliminary project illustrations, cost estimates, and other services such as printing and binding. We also will shepherd your plan through the state and federal review process.

Olentangy State Scenic River