November 2011 – Ct Dept of Energy and Environmental Protection – North Branch Park River Watershed Management-based Plan Implementation project work is being scheduled for 2012. Project updates will be posted on this website as available. If you are interested in this project work, please post a comment below. See also updates on the emerging urban watershed stewardship organization, Park Watershed.
2008 – 2010 PLAN PROCESS
The North Branch Park River Watershed Management Plan provides short and long term strategies that can improve water quality within this urban-suburban watershed.
The North Branch Park River Watershed Management Plan was prepared between June 2008 – July 31, 2010 according to the US EPA ‘Nine Element’ planning process and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (Ct DEP) guidance. The approved final document resides with the Ct DEP, along with other watershed management plans and documents on the Ct DEP website. The project team, led by Fuss & O’Neill, Inc., included the Farmington River Watershed Association, the Park River Watershed Revitalization Initiative, and New England Environmental, Inc. The Watershed Management Plan was developed in cooperation with the CT DEP, other governmental entities, stakeholder groups, and the general public.
The watershed management plan is a comprehensive, scientifically sound, and practical planning document for the protection and restoration of water resources in the North Branch Park River watershed. The watershed management plan characterizes the watershed conditions, identify, investigate, and address the current and emerging issues facing the watershed, and have the clear potential to affect on-the-ground change within the watershed.
The watershed management plan development followed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CT DEP guidance for the development of watershed-based plans. The guidance outlines nine key elements that establish the structure of the plan, including specific goals, objectives, and strategies to protect and restore water quality; methods to build and strengthen working partnerships; a dual focus on addressing existing problems and preventing new ones; a strategy for implementing the plan; and a feedback loop to evaluate progress and revise the plan as necessary. This approach will enable implementation projects under this plan to be considered for funding under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.
North Branch Park River Watershed Management Plan project teamwork officially concluded on July 31, 2010. The approved final document resides with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, along with other watershed management plans and documents on the Ct DEP website.
Note that this website – NorthParkPlan.net – serves as a record of the planning process, and will be updated to reflect future plan implementation progress.