Agenda - 05-15-2007-7a - Laserfiche WebLink

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DRAFT 5/2/07 Phased Implementation Plan for Orange County Water Resources Program (WRP) Over the past few years, the Board of Health, Commission for the Environment and staffs from Environment and Resource Conservation and the Health Department have developed proposals to implement a program that would utilize the ground water and surface water studies of the last two decades to effect efforts to address water issues across the board. Likewise, the Board of Commissioners have acknowledged the need to comprehensively address water resources policy, planning and implementation, and asked the two boards and staff to develop ideas along these lines. During 2006, a Joint Work Group of representatives from the two boards, OWASA, the municipalities, and staff worked to develop an overall plan for such a program. A catalog of ideas was developed and it became- apparent that the list of items needed to truly accomplish the task was lengthy and was more than one staff person could accomplish. Subsequently, the Commissioners asked that representatives from the two boards and staff meet to discuss a single direction for a position being requested by both departments. The results of the joint work group, and subsequent discussions with the County Manager and staff, have clearly pointed to a need to comprehensively address water resources study, planning, policy and implementation. To accomplish this will require the efforts of both ERCD and Health, the achievement of tangible implementation results from a program to be implemented, and the inclusion of other staff resources and departments. A holistic approach, which ties together research and policy with implementation and monitoring, is needed in order to craft a successful program. As such, linkages and coordination between the water resources research, policy, and environmental education functions of Environment and Resource Conservation, and the research, policy development, implementation, surveillance, and education capabilities of the Health Department will be required. Beyond this, close communication with other water resource partners (such as Planning, Soil and Water,and the County Engineer) will also be important. Presented below is a strategic phased implementation plan for an Orange County Water Resources Program (WRP), to address this important topic in the comprehensive manner needed. It is very important to note that the following approach will only work optimally if all steps in the process are followed, as they are interdependent. Pursuing only the policy and research without implementation will not translate into a tangible end-product or results. Conversely, attempting to implement new protocols and networks without the requisite policy analysis and planning would result in an uncoordinated program that may not address the true underlying issues. Both will be needed to tackle water resource quantity and quality issues in a sustainable, holistic manner.