Planning with water in mind: Part Two
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Dozens of water protection and management organizations address recreation, water quality, education and other aspects of watershed management. Water availability is an important issue that warrants involvement by community-level and watershed-level interests.
Getting started
Several documents with guidance for WRAECs are available through the Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Use Program webpage.
- The language of the law itself
- List of information or information sources that would be useful to WRAECs (page 68 of Water Use Advisory Council Recommendations which appears on the Water Use Advisory Council webpage)
Watershed organizations, community developers, conservationists, and community leaders can proactively form a WRAEC.
Such a committee can:
- review water use program data on availability,
- assist with education,
- and suggest revisions to land use plans and local zoning that would explicitly consider future water needs.
For more information about forming a WRAEC, visit Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Use Program webpage and follow the links to “Water Use Program Staff”. The “Water Use Advisory Council” provides a list of individuals and their affiliations who are knowledgeable about the program. River Network is a national organization that has a
MSU Extension offers assistance to communities that would like to determine if a WRAEC is right for them. Please contact Monica Day or Pat Norris for more information.
