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.
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
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 |