Water
Issue
Water is Calaveras County’s most precious and vulnerable natural resource. Increasing demand from a multitude of users (most of whom are outside our county) could jeopardize the quality, quantity and reliability of this resource and ultimately affect our quality of life and that of future generations.
Goals
We should:
- Protect the quantity and quality of surface and groundwater resources.
- Treat wastewater to the highest quality for reuse on crop land, pasture and recreational facilities.
- Through effective watershed management, ensure the health of land- and water-based wildlife that depend on rivers and streams.
Actions
- Forge public-private partnerships to engage landowners, land management agencies, business, nonprofit organizations and others through education and dialog to address water issues including:
- Forest fuel reduction
- Groundwater water and surface water quantity and quality
- Habitat restoration and management
- Watershed protection
- In-stream water quality
- Conjunctive uses of water
- Contamination of groundwater, rivers, creeks and lakes by public and private waste systems and by uncontrolled runoff of storm and industrial waste
- Regional approaches to water and wastewater treatment, storage and distribution
- Funding for restoration, protection and resource development
- Actively promote water conservation and efficiency measures.
- Support efforts by individuals, grassroots citizens groups, collaborative watershed councils and similar entities to monitor water quality and quantity throughout Calaveras County.
- Ensure that all actions regarding water quality, water use and sustainability are in the best interests of the citizens of Calaveras County. These actions must take into consideration economic, environmental and social costs and benefits.
- Embrace emerging technologies that may aid the people of Calaveras County in meeting watershed management goals. Technologies such as WARMF modeling are not only useful in meeting these goals but also help with land use planning.
- Protect our county’s water rights through the documentation and development of the beneficial uses of water. Beneficial uses include consumptive use, water conservation, groundwater recharge and storage, environmental restoration and protection, and sustained river and stream flow.