In November 2002, California voters passed Proposition 50 - the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002. One of several programs initiated by Prop 50 was the Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program, which provides approximately $380 million for competitive grants for projects to protect communities from drought, protect and improve water quality, and improve local water security.

Additional funding for the IRWM Grant Program was made available when voters passed Proposition 84 in November 2006.
See www.grantsloans.water.ca.gov for more information about the IRWM Grant Program.

The North Coast IRWMP:

The North Coast Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) was developed by a consortium of cities, counties, tribes, non-governmental organizations, watershed groups and interested stakeholders from the counties of Del Norte, Siskiyou, Modoc, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino and Sonoma. The main objectives for the North Coast IRWMP are to:

• Protect and enhance the beneficial uses of water

• Protect and restore salmonid populations

• Develop and maintain intra-regional cooperation and local autonomy to effectively address integration regional water management.

RRWA’s Support of the North Coast IRWMP:

RRWA has supported the North Coast IRWMP throughout its development process. The North Coast IRWM planning region includes the entirety of the Russian River Watershed. RRWA’s initiatives to support and enhance the North Coast IRWMP have included:

• September 2004: Comment Letter. RRWA wrote a letter to the Department of Water Resources commenting on the proposed guidelines for the IRWM grant program.

• October 2004: Memorandum of Mutual Understandings. RRWA and all of its member agencies are signatories to the North Coast IRWMP Memorandum of Mutual Understandings.

• January 2005: Public workshop. RRWA hosted a public workshop to discuss the development of the North Coast IRWMP. Potential Plan participants and other interested parties attended the workshop.

• May 2005: Project proponent meeting. RRWA facilitated a meeting for project proponents throughout the Russian River Watershed to discuss each of the 45 projects that were candidates for inclusion in the North Coast IRWMP.

• 2005 – present: Guiding the scoping process for the Russian River Riparian Enhancement Project. RRWA and its project partners will seek opportunities for IRWM grant funding for this project from Proposition 84.

RRWA is committed to supporting the North Coast IRWMP now and into the future.

What’s Next in Integrated Regional Water Management Planning?

This is an exciting time for Integrated Regional Water Management Planning in California. Soon, projects included in the IRWMP will be implemented using Proposition 50 grant funds. Additionally, Proposition 84 will create new opportunities for funding projects within the North Coast region. To discuss future trends and opportunities in Integrated Regional Water Management Planning, the North Coast IRWMP leadership is convening a conference on October 10–12, 2007 in Fortuna, CA. A draft agenda for the conference will be available in the summer of 2007. To stay informed about the North Coast IRWMP conference and other IRWMP matters, go to www.northcoastirwmp.net to sign up for North Coast IRWMP e-mail updates.