Public Workshop for the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan
Dear Bay Area Water and Land Use Community,
The Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (Bay Area IRWMP) is a multi-stakeholder, nine-county roadmap to coordinate and improve water supply reliability, protect water quality, manage flood protection, maintain public health standards, protect habitat and watershed resources, and enhance the overall health of San Francisco Bay.
On behalf of the coalition of water, flood, watershed, and planning agencies and organizations in the Bay Area that is updating the Bay Area IRWMP, I invite you, or someone from your agency or organization, to participate in the first of three public workshops that will provide information and gather input to develop the 2013 update to the Bay Area IRWMP. Importantly, understanding the Plan and its objectives will also help prepare your agency or organization to submit water project concepts by SEPTEMBER 1, 2012 for inclusion in the Plan, thereby qualifying your project for Prop. 84 and other competitive state grant funding.
Public Workshop
The first public workshop will be held on MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Association of Bay Area Governments Auditorium, 101 Eighth Street Oakland, CA 94607 (Lake Merritt BART Station). The purpose of the workshop is to inform you about the 2013 Bay Area IRWMP, how it affects your agency or organization, how you can provide input into the Plan, and how you can propose water resource projects to be included in the Plan. Projects serving disadvantaged communities will get special consideration.
The workshop is intended for public agency representatives (particularly water, land use, and sustainable development), policy and planning organizations, environmental and health organizations, community groups, Tribal interests and individuals interested in water supply, water quality, flood protection/stormwater management, wastewater/recycled water, and watershed and habitat protection. A draft agenda will be posted on the website, www.bairwmp.org.
Speakers from regional and local water and flood organizations, as well as from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), will explain the objectives of the Bay Area IRWMP which are to promote integrated water management planning at the city, county and regional level, how new state guidelines are modifying integrated regional water management planning, how to collaborate with partners on project development, and potentially to get state assistance for addressing water challenges in your community.
The second workshop will be held Monday, August 27, 2012 and will provide a more in-depth look at how projects will be prioritized in the 2013 Bay Area IRWMP. The date of the third workshop is not yet set.
We hope to see you or a representative of your agency or organization on July 23 in Oakland.
Sincerely,
Paul Helliker
Marin Municipal Water District
Chair, Coordinating Committee
Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan
P.S. Participation in the Bay Area IRWMP Coordinating Committee is open to anyone interested in regional water projects, programs and policies. Please join us at our monthly meetings, check the website, www.bairwmp.org, for the contact person in your subregion, or contact us at BAIRWMP@kearnswest.com. We are partnering with stakeholder engagement specialists Kearns & West on this project.