Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council

The Council for Watershed Health, until recently named the Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, regards the Los Angeles River, San Gabriel River, and their tributaries and watersheds.[1] It was founded in 1996 with the objective of bringing together representatives from: all of the water agencies (supply, groundwater, stormwater, water quality, and wastewater); government regulatory agencies (federal to local); citizen groups (community and environmental); and businesses (responsible—interested parties); in the Los Angeles Basin watershed.

Purpose

The vision of the Watershed Council is that of a sustainable Los Angeles, that works within its climate, land and water, and cultural heritages. Its programs and projects include supporting education and information resources, and promotion of coordination, construction and restoration, and polices, for: improved water quality and water supply, regional water resource management, and the enhancement of communities and natural areas along the rivers and in their watersheds.[1]

These issues are addressed through a collaborative stakeholder approach that works to preserve, restore, and enhance the economic, social, and ecological health of the Los Angeles River and San Gabriel River Watersheds through education, research, and planning.[2][3]

The Watershed Council’s programs are focused in four major areas: improving water quality; increasing water supplies through sustainable landscapes, and stormwater reuse; facilitating integrated planning and management, and educating decision-makers about water issues.

Organization

Board

The Watershed Council's Board consists of individuals representing state, regional, and local government; business; landowners (state conservancies); water and wastewater agencies; and non-profit community and environmental organizations. The board includes: the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Southern California Edison, the Southern California Building Industry Association, TreePeople, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the County of Los Angeles, the Cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.[1]

Funding

Major sources of funding for the Watershed Council include the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, County of Los Angeles Flood Control District, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, United States Bureau of Reclamation, California Department of Conservation, California Department of Water Resources, Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, the California Coastal Conservancy, and the Annenberg Foundation.[1]

Methods

The Watershed Council's programs and projects are built upon three key strategies outlined in the Watershed Council’s Strategic Plan:[1]

  1. Education and outreach
  2. Research and monitoring
  3. Integrated planning and management.

Education and outreach

The Watershed Council works to influence policy change by providing leadership and promoting understanding and awareness of the importance of a watershed approach to resource management issues among policy-makers in government, business, and community organizations.

Research and monitoring

The Watershed Council informs and improves watershed protection, restoration, and revitalization through sound science and research-based monitoring.

Integrated planning and management

The Watershed Council provides leadership, guidance, and assistance, working with other agencies and organizations, to affect sound watershed assessment, planning, and management.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 CWH-watershedhealth.org
  2. ↑ Harter, Rick and Rumi Yanakiev (2001). “The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council” p. 20-21 in Conservation Geography: Case Studies in GIS, Computer Mapping, and Activism. (ed. Charles L. Convis, Jr.) Redlands, CA: ESRI Press. ISBN 978-1-58948-024-7
  3. ↑ Bullard, Kathleen (2005). “Riparian Pocket Parks as a Means for Physically and Conceptually Connecting People with Water.” p. 309-317 in Facilitating watershed management: fostering awareness and stewardship (ed. Robert Lawrence France) Oxford, UK: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-7425-3363-8

External links

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