Management Planning

The Red Cedar Watershed Management Plan
The Red Cedar River Watershed Management Plan (WMP) represents the culmination of a two and a half year collaborative process designed to address existing and potential pollutants in the Red Cedar River. The process included data collection and analysis, an extensive watershed inventory effort and stakeholder involvement. The WMP describes the watershed and water quality issues within it, including the existing TMDLs that have been established for E. coli bacteria and dissolved oxygen. Subwatersheds within the Red Cedar are described in detail, and best management practices for addressing nonpoint sources of pollutants within subwatersheds are included as a critical component. The subwatersheds are prioritized using a scoring system to focus implementation activities in the next phase of the watershed planning process. A downloadable copy is available here.
Watershed Management Plan Partners
The following communities, organizations, and agencies contributed expertise, time and resources in support of the watershed management planning process.
  • Clinton Conservation District
  • Clinton County Drain Commissioner
  • Delhi Charter Township
  • City of East Lansing
  • Eaton Conservation District
  • Ingham Conservation District
  • Ingham County Drain Commissioner
  • Ingham County Health Department
  • City of Lansing
  • Lansing Charter Township
  • Livingston County Drain Commissioner
  • Livingston County Health Department
  • Meridian Charter Township
  • Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
  • Michigan State University Institute of Water Research
  • Streamside Ecological Services
  • Tri-County and Regional Planning Commission
  • City of Williamston
  • Williamstown Township
Why plan by watershed?
Watershed management planning is a critical step in protecting our water resources.  Properly managing land activities protects water for designated and desired uses such as recreational use. Since watersheds don't adhere to political boundaries, residents, businesses, officials and other stakeholders must work across jurisdictions to adequately protect and improve the natural assets in their watershed.  Watershed management planning serves as a foundation for identifying where problems exist, defining what needs to be done, and evaluating the success of any measures taken. Watershed plans strengthen existing programs and leverage local resources. To learn more about what's in a watershed management, review the "Nine Elements of Watershed Management Plans" below.  You can also use the link to the right to read more about watershed management planning on the EPA website.

EPA's Nine Elements of Watershed Management Plans
  1. Identify causes/sources of pollution.  Identification of causes of impairment and pollutant sources or groups of similar sources that need to be controlled to achieve needed load reductions, and any other goals identified in the watershed plan.

  2. Estimate load reductions. An estimate of the load reductions expected from management measures.

  3. Management practices and critical areas. A description of the nonpoint source management measures that will need to be implemented to achieve load reductions and a description of the critical areas in which those measures will be needed to implement the plan.

  4. Establish team/financial assistance. Estimate the amounts of technical and financial assistance needed, associated costs, and/or the sources and authorities that will be relied upon to implement the plan.

  5. Education component. An information and education component used to enhance public understanding of the project and encourage their early and continued participation in selecting, designing, and implementing the nonpoint source management measures that will be implemented.

  6. Project Schedule. Schedule for implementing the nonpoint source management measures identified in the plan that is reasonably expeditious.

  7. Measurable interim milestones. A description of interim measurable milestones for determining whether nonpoint source management or other control actions are being implemented.

  8. Indicators for identifying progress. A set of criteria that can be used to determine whether loading reductions are being achieved over time and substantial progress is being made toward attaining water quality standards.

  9. Monitoring component. A monitoring component to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation efforts over time, measured against the criteria established under item 8 immediately above.

References
4.  Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters. Chapter 2 Excerpt. Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/nonpoint/9elements-WtrshdPlan-EpaHndbk.pdf