Community Partners Shape the Watershed Master Plan’s Priority Actions

A look at what we heard during our recent community partner workshops

What We Shared

Valley Water conducts comprehensive planning through the Watershed Master Plans to ensure its projects and programs meet watershed management goals, as well as reflect community values. To do this, the Watershed Master Plan team engaged with a variety of agencies and community partners to gather feedback on current draft Priority Actions and identify gaps and/or partnership opportunities.

The series of collaborative workshops in August 2026 brought together groups of local jurisdictions, regulatory agencies, community-based organizations, chambers of commerce, educational institutions, neighborhood associations, and environmental organizations, among many other local partners.

What We Heard

Overall, community partners were in support of the draft Priority Actions, such as improving flood protection infrastructure, enhancing natural ecosystems, and assessing opportunities for multi-benefit projects. Discussions centered around additional details to add to Priority Action descriptions, clarifications on project locations and statuses, as well as opportunities for partnerships.

What’s Next

The Watershed Master Plan team will consider feedback received through community and partner engagement alongside technical input from Valley Water subject matter experts and other partners. A full draft of the Lower Peninsula Watershed Master Plan will soon be completed, followed by a round of presentations to Valley Water Board advisory committees, then brought to the Board for adoption in Spring 2027.

Organizations, community partners, and others interested in learning more about the Watershed Master Plan or participating in future engagement opportunities are encouraged to contact Project Manager, Lizzie Mercado at EMercado@valleywater.org.

To view the community partner workshop presentation, click here.