Goal 2
Ensure necessary water quality and quantity to support healthy fish communities and aquatic ecosystems.
JUSTIFICATION :
(Include reference to National Board’s focus on nutrients and sediments and our desire to be proactive to prevent the need in Alaska to focus on these parameters.)
Contact - Ginny Litchfield
Objectives
Secure instream flow reservations for the protection of fish on streams with existing water quantity data.
-
Determine which streams already have adequate instream flow reservations for the protection of fish and aquatic systems.
-
Identify streams with no reservations that have sufficient water quantity data and file applications.
-
Collect additional data to complete the hydrologic record for applications on streams with some water quantity data.
-
Identify streams with no hydrologic data that should be prioritized for stream gauging efforts.
Work within the Alaska Clean Water Action process to ensure protection of aquatic life.
-
Nominate streams with existing water quality data showing exceedances related to Alaska’s Water Quality Criteria and apply for impaired waterbody status.
-
Collect additional data to complete baseline datasets on streams of concern.
-
Identify freshwaters and near shore marine habitats that should be prioritized for baseline water quality data collection due to concerns about current or future development and/or potential for catastrophic events.
Identify & recommend activities to restore and protect water quality and/or quantity.
-
Seek partner participation in Alaska Clean Water Actions (ACWA ) evaluation of waterbodies.
-
Identify and prioritize watersheds/parcels for land acquisition and conservation easements.
-
Identify existing land use plans where the Partnership can play a role in implementation of BMPs, and participation in cost share programs.
-
Examine efficacy of existing riparian setbacks to protect water quality and/or quantity and provide improvements to policy makers.
-
Examine efficacy of existing wetland protections and provide improvements to policy makers.
-
Examine efficacy of existing waste water management systems and provide improvements to policy makers.
Reduce Borough-wide water consumption.
-
Create a Water Demand Management Plan to identify practical steps for communities to reduce water usage.
-
Meter all water use for public water sources to generate a benchmark to measure water conservation efforts.
-
Identify the greatest sectors of water consumption and help them develop conservation strategies.
-
Quantify water use of private well water sources through well logs and implement a process for sending well information to DNR at point of sale of property.