Building Community Support Through a Watershed Strategic Plan

How do you change your community's impression of surface water management (SWM) from “rain tax” to “community benefit”? Get them involved and engaged in your surface water management program!Oak Lodge Sanitary District recently completed a watershed strategic planning process that invited the community to be involved in a wholesale review of the District's SWM program. With citizens' input – and an eye toward tougher MS4 permit requirements – the District's SWM program was rebuilt to meet the community's expectations and fulfill regulatory requirements.There were several surprising outcomes. Once engaged, community members became outspoken advocates for water quality improvements and sought even greater water quality protections than were proposed by the District. Community representatives pressed for better tree protection, wider riparian buffers and stricter enforcement. Participants also began to perceive the natural components of the surface water system—rivers, streams, riparian areas, wetlands—as community “infrastructure” that needs their active care and investment.