History
The Sacramento River Watershed Program (SRWP) is an effort to bring stakeholders together representing themselves, their organizations, agencies, private businesses, and universities to share information and resources to address all water-related issues
within the Sacramento River watershed.
The Watershed Program was initiated in February 1996 at a meeting attended by nearly 150 people. By the end of the year, the program's mailing list had grown to 600, of which more than 200 actively participated in meetings
and subcommittee work. Today, the mailing list is in excess of 950 people.
In 1996, the SRWP organized several subcommittees to promote environmental protection and collaboration among all stakeholders for the Sacramento River and its tributaries. All subcommittees
are open to anyone interested in participating. There is no set committee membership. After numerous collaborative meetings involving a wide range of stakeholder interests, the subcommittees identified important parameters and developed a water quality monitoring
program. Monitoring of the Sacramento River for the SRWP was begun in May 1998.
The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District and the
Sacramento River Watershed Program
The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (District) saw a need for a more comprehensive watershed-management approach to water quality issues in the early 1990's. At that time existing water quality data showed that concentrations of many metals
were high in the Sacramento River above Sacramento. However, the available data lacked the accuracy, precision and scope desired to make good decisions about how to improve water quality. To remedy this situation, the District began working to get funding
for a watershed-wide program focused on water quality monitoring and management. Those efforts were finally successful in 1995, when Congress included $500,000 in the U.S. EPA budget for the Sacramento River Toxic Pollutant Control Program (SRTPCP). U.S.
EPA Region IX administered the funding for that grant, as well as grants in subsequent years for $1 million, $900,000, $2 million, $1.7 million, and $1.5 million in FY 2000.
The long-range objective of the SRTPCP is to establish a coordinated, technically sound, and adequately funded program that will bring the Sacramento River and its tributaries into compliance with appropriate water quality objectives for toxic pollutants
and thereby protect beneficial uses. Key elements envisioned for the complete long-range program include a water quality monitoring program, identification of major water quality concerns, development of appropriate site-specific water quality objectives,
and development of cost-effective and locally supported programs to resolve major concerns in the Sacramento River and its tributaries.
From the beginning, the District realized that to succeed, a watershed-wide approach to managing water quality, or any other resource, requires the cooperation and participation of people throughout the Sacramento River basin. Consequently, a portion of
the funds from the congressional line item was allocated to develop communication and new relationships between interested stakeholders. These funds were a significant catalyst for the development of the Sacramento River Watershed Program (SRWP).
