Annual Report - Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Patuxent Reservoirs Watershed Annual ReportNovember 2005taken place. This location accounts for approximately one-fifth of the unforested buffers onpublic land. The total cost, not including staff time, will be approximately $300,000.ConclusionOver the past year, the TAC continued to evaluate potential implementation items and setpriorities for effective long-term watershed management. In order to assure our success, theconsensus within the TAC is to focus on public outreach, a need for two full-time staff, andriparian buffer establishment and maintenance.The TAC recognizes that an educated and involved public is needed to assure drinking waterquality, terrestrial and stream resource protection, and maintenance of the rural character of thewatershed landscape. Successful completion of our goals will require a full-time position tocoordinate more effective outreach to residents and resource users in the watershed. In addition,the TAC will need a full-time liaison capable of coordinating across agencies and diverseprojects, tracking the success and rate of implementation across the watershed, and seeking outand applying for grant funding to support implementation. The TAC also recognizes theimportance of fully-functioning riparian forested buffers to achieve multiple goals for protectingpriority resources.Without proper staffing and funding resources, the TAC will not be able to accelerate or trackthe success of ongoing efforts, nor achieve implementation within the timelines established asnecessary to protect the priority resources of the watershed.10