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What's New?
Now Forming Resource Water Mgmt Group Click Here April 16 Work Session in Le Grand! April 9: Notes from Work Session Click Here April 9: Next Work Session Agenda Click Here March 26: Notes from Work Session Click Here What is an IRWMP? An Integrated Regional
Water Management Plan (IRWMP) is a voluntary non-regulatory planning document
that identifies broadly supported goals and objectives pertaining to water resources management. The plan is informed by collaboration
with stakeholders and various pre-existing plans in the region and is implemented by a united regional community.
1) Madera County in its entirety needs to be within an accepted region so that they can apply for implementation funding for projects in the existing Madera County IRWMP. An IRWMP would have to be completed for areas not currently covered by the Madera County IRWMP, so the existing IRWMP would need to be expanded (a planning grant would be applied for at the same time implementation grants would be applied for). 2) All the watersheds in Mariposa need to be within an accepted region so that a planning grant can be applied for and an IRWMP completed. 3) The “MAGPI area” of Merced needs to be within an accepted region so that a planning grant can be applied for and an IRWMP completed. Issue: Madera, Mariposa, and Merced are all connected through watersheds; Madera, part of Fresno, and Merced are all connected through watersheds; and Mariposa, Merced, and part of Stanislaus are all connected through watersheds. The combination of both mountain/foothill and valley floor areas covered in an IRWMP (like the existing Madera County IRWMP) is optimal. Given the remaining time we have to complete a Regional Acceptance Process (RAP) application, we very quickly have to figure out how to create a regional boundary that will be successfully approved by the California State Department of Water Resources (DWR) so that we can access planning and implementation funds. Possible Solution: We could consider a “Central California” combined three county plus two partial counties watershed based effort. The major watersheds include the Upper and Middle San Joaquin and the Upper and Lower Merced with the Chowchilla and Fresno Rivers in the middle. Note: Many IRWMP processes throughout the state include multiple watersheds as well as multiple counties. Examples include: Southern Sierra, Tuolumne-Stanislaus, Inyo-Mono, CABY, Mokelumne-Amador-Calaveras, etc.We asked DWR: If the entire Madera County is contained within this larger watershed based region, and the region is approved by DWR, could projects within the existing Madera County IRWMP apply for implementation funds (and be eligible for funding) at the same time planning funds are being pursued to complete an IRWMP that includes the balance of the “Central California” region? The important thing is that the existing Madera County IRWMP is eligible for implementation funding and that there are no gaps or overlaps to cover the balance of the immediately adjacent watersheds so that the entire region is accepted. Then we can start working on a planning grant application and then a plan. Example Alternative: Instead of working together in a combined region, we could decide how to split up the area and each put together separate applications in coordination with one another. Note: The Chowchilla and “lower streams” watersheds are partially within all three counties – Madera, Mariposa, and Merced. Since Madera already has a completed IRWMP, they doubtfully would be part of a region that does not include their entire county. DWR does not want overlaps – so, for example, one “split up” option would be for Madera County to include the Chowchilla and “lower streams” watersheds in their region. This would mean that Mariposa residents as well as stakeholders would have to participate in multiple IRWMP processes to ensure all the issues in the county are addressed. We are working on developing maps.
THIS IS A STAKEHOLDER DRIVEN PROCESS: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE REGIONAL BOUNDARY?
I don’t want to be “taken over”. IRWMPs are non-regulatory. They do not have jurisdictional authority. State regulations, county regulations, and water rights are not controlled by IRWMPs. An IRWMP does not change jurisdictional regulations or water rights.
I don’t want to be part of a group. IRWMPs are voluntary. No one has to participate in an IRWMP, however, if you need state funding for water-related projects, your project area and issues have to be in an approved region with a completed IRWMP.
I want to have my own group. The state’s deadline for the Regional Acceptance Process application is April 29, 2009. There is information on this web site and, more importantly, links to DWR to help you. If you are starting a group that shares boundaries or watersheds near Madera, Mariposa, or Merced, please contact us so we can coordinate boundaries. http://www.grantsloans.water.ca.gov/grants/irwm/integregio_news.cfm |
