Westside Sacramento
IRWM Plan

To coordinate efforts between agencies that share responsibility for managing water resources, such as the Cache Creek and Putah Creek watersheds, and leverage resources to implement improvements. Communities that want to compete for state grant funding to implement projects must have completed an IRWM Plan.

Generally speaking, the planning process includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Water supply reliability
• Water conservation
• Water quality improvement
• Storm water management
• Flood management
• Invasive species abatement
• Mercury contamination cleanup
• Wetlands enhancements and protections
• Environmental and habitat improvements and protections

In order to be eligible for state funding for future projects, the IRWM Plan must include an analysis of current and future anticipated conditions, challenges and opportunities, potential projects that benefit multiple areas (flood management and ecosystem restoration, for example), and recommendations for action, among other things.

At the end of the planning process, the completed IRWM Plan described the water resources challenges and opportunities of the Westside Region and described an approach to addressing those challenges and opportunities. The Plan has also supported efforts to solicit state and federal grant funding to implement priority projects. State funding sources included Proposition 84 grants, awarded to projects that improve water supply reliability and quality (particularly in disadvantaged communities); improve flood management practices; and eliminate or reduce pollution in sensitive habitat areas.

The Westside-Sacramento Regional Water Management Group is an organization formed by:

• Lake County Watershed Protection District
• Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
• Solano County Water Agency
• Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency

The group is organized under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in September 2010. That same month, the partners applied for a $1 million planning grant from the Department of Water Resources (Prop 84 funds) that was later awarded to support development of the Westside Sacramento IRWM Plan.

The Westside Sac Regional Water Management Planning Group is directed by a Coordinating Committee comprised of representatives from each member agency. The group oversees the financing and implementing of the IRWM planning process. The plan, which was finalized by the Coordinating Committee, was developed with participation and input from interested residents and other stakeholders.

Information related to each of these topics was presented and discussed through an interactive process initiated during public meetings. Draft plan content was prepared based on the discussion of each topic and then provided for public review and comment. The draft content was revised as needed based on comments offered and then made available again for review and comment until the content was broadly acceptable. At the end of the planning process, the agreed upon content was combined into the IRWM Plan for final public review and member agency adoption.