The WaterSMART grant funding has arrived for Grant County Conservation District!
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART grant program has two phases: Phase I being watershed planning and Phase II being project implementation. In Phase I, the phase we are on, we will accomplish two tasks for the planning process. The first task is the development of our watershed group, the Moses Lake Watershed Council (MLWC). The second task is the development of the watershed restoration plan for the Moses Lake watershed.
The MLWC has been an active group for three years and through the WaterSMART grant we will:
Examine the representation on the MLWC and expand participation, if needed;
Develop and implement a public outreach plan to engage a broader set of stakeholders and communities’ members in the planning process; and
Develop, review, and update organizational documents and form subcommittees, as needed. These tasks will help outline the exact role of the council, the participants of the council, and establish a solid outreach plan.
The watershed restoration planning process will:
Inventory the watershed and identify watershed concerns and objectives;
Analyze existing watershed data to identify data gaps and to prioritize data gathering;
Identify best management practices and projects necessary to treat identified resource concerns in the watershed; and
Develop a watershed management and restoration plan for the Moses Lake watershed.
With the completion of Phase I of the WaterSMART grant, we will have the ability to implement the projects identified in the watershed restoration plan through Phase II funding by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Standing up the MLWC (Task 1) should be completed by March 2023, while the watershed restoration plan (Task 2) will be completed by September 2023.
We look forward to the prospects that the WaterSMART grant will lead to for the MLWC and the Moses Lake watershed. Look out for more information in the future.
GCCD is here to help improve the lake’s water quality and with the help of the community, it can be achieved! For technical and financial assistance contact Grant County Conservation District at (509)765-9618 or email Ron Scerbicke, GCCD Watershed Planner at Ronald-Scerbicke@conservewa.net.
