Planning
Planning Overview
CCBWQA does two general types of planning:
- Strategic planning related to its mission and goals and
- Specific project planning for pollution abatement projects.
Vision
The objective of the Federal Clean Water Act* is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.
Mission
- Implement the Federal Clean Water Act in the Cherry Creek Basin.
- Improve, protect, and preserve water quality in Cherry Creek and Cherry Creek Reservoir for recreation, fisheries, water supplies, and other beneficial uses.
- Provide for effective efforts by counties, municipalities, special districts, and landowners within the basin in the protection of water quality.
- Work with Member Entities and Stakeholders to enhance partnerships on water quality policies and projects.
- Promote public health, safety, and welfare.
Goals
- Use effective stewardship to implement sustainable reservoir and watershed water quality management strategies.
- Implement an efficient and effective organization with the expertise to achieve results.
- Work with Member Entities and Stakeholders to enhance partnerships on water quality policies and projects.
- Continue to develop leading edge, innovative water quality solutions.
- Adapt as needed.
Objectives
- Better understand reservoir and watershed dynamics and linkages.
- Identify the right "mix" of sustainable strategies that will preserve and enhance water quality for beneficial uses and/or prevent negative water quality impacts.
- Ensure that the Authority Board maintains an adaptable organizational structure and expertise so it can efficiently identify, prioritize, and implement Authority initiatives, and respond to requests.
- Enhance partnerships with Member Entities and Stakeholders to leverage resources, resulting in improvement, protection, and/or preservation of water quality beneficial uses, and prevention of negative water quality impacts.
- Effectively and efficiently participate in Regulatory Activities that impact water quality.
- Continue as leader and laboratory.
Pollution Abatement Project Planning
CCBWQA plans for future Pollution Abatement Projects. These planning efforts help to identify future projects, estimate water quality benefits, and inform prioritization for inclusion in the 10-year Capital Improvement Program.
In 2020, CCBWQA engaged in 3 planning efforts:
- Cherry Creek from the Reservoir to Cherry Creek State Park Boundary,
- Cherry Creek from Cherry Creek State Park Boundary to Scott Road, and
- 11 previously unplanned Cherry Creek Tributary watersheds within Arapahoe County.
Emerging Issues
CCBWQA was active in the Water Quality Control Commission’s 2020 Regulation 38 Rulemaking Hearing and is preparing for phosphorus and nitrogen standards that will apply to Cherry Creek Reservoir in 2022. Additionally, a majority of streams in the Cherry Creek Basin are “headwater streams” as defined by Regulation 38 (and effective 12/31/2020).
Based on the adopted Mission/Vision, Goals, and Objectives, CCBWQA will periodically develop specific strategies, and metrics and measures, to help achieve the Strategic Plan. These strategies, metrics, and measures are intended to be readily adaptable as needed and are therefore not part of the Board-adopted Strategic Plan itself.
*Federal Clean Water Act Chapter 26, Water Pollution Prevention and Control