Water Environment Services - Watershed Action Plan

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

Water Environment Services (WES), a department of Clackamas County, conducts water management services in several districts including Clackamas County Service District No. 1. WES’ surface water management (SWM) program goals are to improve and protect water quality and reduce the impacts of urbanization on hydrology. Clackamas County Service District No. 1 has retooled its Program and is transitioning from mostly regulatory—driven to a focus on watershed health and integrated watershed health management. They completed two Watershed Action Plans to prioritize activities and future investments. WES incorporated the principles of an asset management program and developed Levels of Service and performance measures to guide the program. A stake holder group was convened to participate in the WAP and provide feedback on the results. An inventory of watershed conditions and an assessment of limiting factors for watershed health were summarized. Watershed Action Plans included capital improvements and measures and were developed based on recommended management strategies and potential actions. Actions were prioritized based on the capacity to meet the LOS goals. A WES Steering Committee is organizing work into categories, developing multi-year budgeting and partnering with stakeholders on the implementation of the projects.