Watershed Management Program

The Lawrence County Conservation District’s Watershed Specialist provides technical information and assistance, and organization support for efforts designed to improve the quality and quantity of the Commonwealth’s surface and groundwater resources.  The scope of watershed management includes assessment, procurement of funding, technical assistance, and the creation, implementation, and coordination of work plans and strategies to restore and protect groundwater and surface water resources.  The Watershed Specialist is a resource to both the public and private sectors and is under the direct supervision and is accountable to the Conservation District Board of Directors.

• Programs:
  • Watershed Planning
  • Watershed Restoration
  • Watershed Protection and Stewardship
  • Watershed Education and Outreach
  

Projects and Activities:

• Assist in the development and use of resource inventories, land use information, and available water quality assessments to identify existing and potential sources of non-point source pollution.

• Develop programs to achieve restoration and protection goals based on stream quality, land use, and input from cooperating agencies, organizations, individuals, and governing agencies.

• Facilitate the transfer of technical information among local, state, and federal resource agencies, watershed groups, and land managers.

• Support existing watershed organizations with technical assistance, watershed planning, and educational programs.

• Provide technical assistance in the planning and implementation of riparian buffers, and structural and nonstructural best management practices designed to protect surface and groundwater quality.

• Work with municipalities and County Planning Commissions to adopt model ordinances and more flexible design criteria that promote water quality protection, floodplain management, and stormwater management.

• Develop workshops and implement demonstration projects on the interrelationship between land use decisions and non-point source pollution prevention.

• Encourage agencies and landowners to cooperate in watershed initiatives, and inform them of the technical resources and funding opportunities that are available.