The Safe, Clean Water Program's Watershed Planning Initiative is an ongoing effort to enhance the Program through data, collaboration, and community input.

The Watershed Planning Initiative facilitates strategic planning, integrates community and SCW Program governance committee feedback, leverages information from existing efforts, and identifies opportunities for impactful multi-benefit projects. These efforts support the development of more impactful water quality, water supply, and community-enhancing stormwater capture projects, programs, and studies.

This work includes the publishing of findings and insights that guide, enhance, and lead to continued Program success. Accordingly, the Watershed Planning Initiative has released nine Initial Watershed Plans, a companion online Watershed Planning Tool, and a Programmatic Executive Summary. These resources will be updated as findings arise and evolve.

The Watershed Planning Programmatic Executive Summary provides high-level information on the Initiative and its published resources. It includes a Program-wide overview of the targets, needs, strategies, and opportunities established as part of the Watershed Planning Initiative.

This Executive Summary functions as a standalone summary or a useful introduction to the Initial Watershed Plans.

A total of nine Initial Watershed Plans are available, one for each SCW Program Watershed Area. Each of the Initial Plans includes its own Executive Summary and detailed information on Watershed Area-specific targets, needs, strategies, and opportunities aimed at enhancing the SCW Program. The Plans are adaptive and will be updated as new findings arise.

Virtual Project Developer Info Session:

A public virtual Project Developer Info Session on the Initial Watershed Plans will be hosted on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM. The Info Session will discuss the main outputs of the Plans (Baselines, Targets, Strategies, Opportunities) and how to demonstrate alignment with the Plans per the 20th Requirement of the Feasibility Study Guidelines. For more details on the Info Session, please click the link to the left.

The Planning Tool serves as a live, interactive version of the Plans. It communicates and tracks progress toward SCW Program Goals and highlights strategies and opportunities to support their achievement. The Planning Tool will be updated annually to ensure Project data and opportunities remain current.

As part of its effort to gather and integrate community input, the Watershed Planning Initiative launched the Community Strengths and Needs Assessment (CSNA) Survey. The CSNA Survey gives residents the opportunity to share what matters most in their neighborhoods, outlining their communities’ strengths, key needs, and opportunities. Results are displayed in the interactive CSNA Dashboard, an online GIS-based tool that shows survey findings and tracks changes over time.

Resources

Documents, facts sheets, links, and more related to the Watershed Planning Initiative.

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