Planning for integrated, uniform use is critical to protecting and preserving water resources. When first formed the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District prepared, what was then called, an “Overall Plan”. The Overall Plan focused upon management of flood waters. The Staring Lake Outlet – Purgatory Creek Recreation Area Basic Water Management Project completed the cycle of projects identified in the Overall Plan.
With increased sensitivity to ecological impacts, the Board of Managers prepared a water management plan, which was approved and adopted in 1996. This plan was known as the 2nd Generation Water Management Plan, “2nd” referring to the prior Overall Plan. This plan focused upon enhancing and restoring beneficial use of waters from an ecological perspective. The work under this plan focused upon analyzing attainable water uses and identifying projects needed to restore or protect attainable uses. The studies made to carry out this purpose are known as “attainable use analyses”. The Overall Plan, 2nd Generation Plan, and attainable use analyses are available.
The Board of Managers completed an update of the District’s water management plan. The new “3rd Generation Plan” went through several rounds of stakeholder review and feedback, culminating in approval by the Board of Water and Soil Resources on January 26, 2011. The Board of Managers formally adopted the plan on February 2, 2011. This final version of the 3rd Generation Plan is available by clicking on “Third Generation Water Management Plan” to the left..