Participate in Regional Water Plan Development
Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) is a collaborative effort to identify and implement water resource solutions on a regional scale. Multiple agencies and a broad range of stakeholders work together to ensure sustainable water supplies, improve water quality, and promote environmental stewardship.
Existing county plans for the north and central parts of Orange County (approximately the area overlying the Orange County Groundwater Basin) need to be updated. The county’s environmental resources staff is leading this effort. Anyone interested in a wide-range of water resource management issues is invited to participate in the plan development. Stakeholder meetings are being held approximately once a month. To be put on the email list for future meeting notifications, please contact Iris Corpus.
Background
This type of water management has been done for many years in Orange County. For example, multiple agencies worked together starting in the 1980s to control sediment deposition in Newport Bay. By the 1990s, this effort was expanded in scope to include other water quality concerns and is now overseen by the Newport Bay Watershed Executive Committee. In 2003, a county-wide water quality strategic plan was approved by the board of supervisors. So, when the state of California entered the arena by initiating a statewide Integrated Regional Water Management Program in 2002, the county was well prepared.
The foundation of IRWM is developing a water resource management plan for a region that sets a vision for enhanced water quality, sustainable water supplies, improved stormwater management, increase in wildlife habitat, and enhanced recreational opportunities. Many state grant and loan programs require such planning in order for agencies and organizations to be eligible for state funding.