Watershed Protection Plan - Lower Rio Grande Valley Development ...

THE ARROYO COLORADO
WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP
The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership
(ACW Partnership) is a coalition of organizations
and concerned citizens committed to restoring
and protecting the aquatic resources of the Arroyo
Colorado-Lower Laguna Madre Estuarine System.
The Partnership is composed of approximately 400
dedicated individuals or stakeholders. A stakeholder
is an individual or organization with an interest
(i.e., a stake) in the welfare of a particular natural
resource or that is affected in a signifi cant way by
the implementation of recommendations designed to
protect and restore the resource. The ACW Partnership
grew out of two smaller groups of local stakeholders
formed in 1998 as part of the State of Texas’ Total
Maximum Daily Load process. The groups went by
the names Arroyo Colorado Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL) Steering Committee and Science and
Technology Advisory Committee (STAC). The State
of Texas’ efforts to develop TMDLs for the Arroyo
Colorado are discussed in more detail in other sections
of this document.
Organizational Structure
The ACW Partnership is structured in a way that
allows debate and input from all participants while
retaining the ability to make decisions in an organized
and timely manner. Members of the Partnership (more
than 400) participate in decision-making through Work
Groups that focus on issues that affect the health of
the Arroyo Colorado (Figure 4). The Work Groups
Figure 4. Organizational Structure of the Arroyo
Colorado Watershed Partnership
Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership
Wastewater
Infrastructure
General Partnership Members
(7 in total) develop recommendations that form the
basis for the components of the Watershed Protection
Plan. All seven Work Groups report to a 25 member
Steering Committee composed of members of the ACW
Partnership with diverse backgrounds and interests.
The Steering Committee receives recommendations
from the Work Groups and makes decisions on behalf
of the Partnership based on these recommendations.
Steering Committee
Steering Committee
Further Study/
TMDL
Habitat
Restoration
Land Use
Agricultural
Issues
Water Quality
Monitoring
Education &
Outreach
The ACW Partnership Steering Committee (Steering
Committee) was formed by the ACW Partnership
to guide decision-making while providing equitable
representation of the Partnership members. In addition
to guiding the development and implementation of the
ACW Protection Plan, the Steering Committee also
advises the TCEQ on on-going efforts to establish Total
Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) for the Arroyo Colorado.
Early in its formation, the ACW Steering Committee
agreed to a set of Ground Rules under which it
currently operates (Appendix B). The proceedings
of the Steering Committee are carried out mainly by
consensus, although on rare occasions there is a call
for vote on a particular issue. On these occasions,
issues are decided by a simple majority a vote.
January 2007 15 Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan