FY 2016 Cooperative Watershed Management 

Program Funding

Task A - Establishing a Watershed Group

Colorado

Shadowcliff, Establishing an Upper Colorado River Watershed Group

Reclamation Funding: $100,000 Total Project Cost: $115,000

Shadowcliff, a non-profit organization located in Grand County, Colorado, will bring together a broad 

cross-section of stakeholders to form a new watershed group in the Upper Colorado River Basin, extending 

across Grand County, which includes a section of the continental divide and the headwaters of the Colorado 

River. The Upper Colorado River Basin Watershed Group will include stakeholders from across multiple 

sectors, including hydroelectric production, livestock grazing, timber production, recreation, irrigated 

agriculture, multiple environmental groups, municipal water providers, private property owners and Federal 

agencies. The group will develop a watershed restoration plan addressing critical issues identified in the 

2012 Upper Colorado River Water Quality Management Plan and the 2015 Colorado Water Plan, including 

the loss of riverine habitat, drought, sedimentation, erosion, and nutrient loading.

New Mexico

Upper Rio Grande Watershed District, Watershed Group Formation

Reclamation Funding: $50,000 Total Project Cost: $50,000

The Upper Rio Grande Watershed District, located in North Central New Mexico, will form a new 

watershed group comprised of representatives of the affected stakeholders within the Upper Rio Grande 

River watershed. The District was originally formed by landowners to address flooding and erosion issues 

that were damaging farmlands. The new watershed group will focus on a broader set of issues, including 

promoting ecological resilience, maintaining habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the 

Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, and water quality issues. The District seeks to bring together Federal, 

State, and local land and water management agencies with the representatives of acequias ranchers, 

landowners and environmental interests in the watershed.

Oklahoma

The Chickasaw Nation, Chickasaw Nation Lake of the Arbuckles Watershed Group

Reclamation Funding: $53,921 Total Project Cost: $89,937

The Chickasaw Nation of Ada, Oklahoma, will establish the Lake of the Arbuckles Watershed Group to 

promote the sustainable use of water resources in the Lake of the Arbuckles watershed. The ArbuckleSimpson aquifer, which underlies more than 500 square miles in South Central Oklahoma, is the principal 

water source for the City of Sulphur and is the source of a number of important springs in the region, 

including those in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Stakeholders are concerned that withdrawals 
from the aquifer will result in declining flows in streams and springs. This new Watershed Group will be 

comprised of a diverse set of stakeholders that will work collaboratively to improve water quality and 

ecological resilience, conserve water and reduce conflicts over water. Watershed group activities include 

selecting a watershed group coordinator and facilitator, finalizing a mission statement, identifying 

watershed management concepts, and developing a watershed restoration plan.

Oregon

Walla Walla Basin Watershed Foundation, Walla Walla Basin Water Management Plan

Reclamation Funding: $100,000 Total Project Cost: $160,000

The Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, located in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, proposes to create a bistate Walla Walla Basin Watershed Management Group and develop a comprehensive watershed 

management plan for the Walla Walla River in Washington and Oregon. Water resource issues include 

inadequate stream flows to sustain Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed fish and ecosystem functions, 

while also providing irrigation water for over 40,000 acres of farmland and the city of Walla Walla. This 

new watershed group will recruit diverse stakeholders including representation from irrigation districts, 

individual farms, livestock owners, business owners, Native American Tribes with ceded territory, local 

environmental organizations, county governments, city governments, and state water and fish management 

agencies from both Oregon and Washington. The group will develop project concepts and finalize a 

watershed management plan that will enhance instream flows necessary to sustain ESA listed aquatic 

species, tribally re-introduced spring Chinook, and vital ecosystem functions, while continuing to provide 

water for irrigated agriculture and municipal uses.

Task B - Further Developing a Watershed Group

Arizona

Clean Colorado River Sustainability Coalition, Watershed Expansion & Management Project

Reclamation Funding: $80,700 Total Project Cost: $80,700 

The Clean Colorado River Sustainability Coalition, in Western Arizona, will further develop by increasing 

membership within the Havasu-Mohave Lakes and Imperial watersheds. The watersheds are plagued by 

water quality issues, including the invasive quagga mussel, non-native plant growth, cyanobacteria, mine 

contamination, and E. coli outbreaks, some of which have been exacerbated by the drought conditions of 

the past 16 years. The Coalition currently has limited representation from Tribes, businesses, agriculture, 

and the recreation and environmental sectors. The Coalition will diversify their membership and form 

collaborative partnerships with several Federal and state government agencies in order to educate 

stakeholders and expand the Coalition’s understanding of important water quality issues and the impacts of 

drought. In addition, the Coalition will develop and prioritize project concepts and develop a watershed 

management plan based on the scientific understanding of the river’s water quality issues.
Tse Si Ani Chapter, Working Across Tribal Borders: Restoring the Black Mesa Watersheds 

Together

Reclamation Funding: $100,000 Total Project Cost: $168,965

The Little Colorado River Watershed Chapters Association, on the Colorado Plateau in Northeastern 

Arizona and Northwestern New Mexico, will further develop by creating the Black Mesa Watershed 

Working Group. This intertribal working group will provide a forum for Navajo and Hopi stakeholders to 

work together to develop a watershed restoration plan focusing on critical issues, within the five Black 

Mesa watersheds, which consist of both Navajo and Hopi land. The most critical issues, many of which 

have been exacerbated by the drought that has impacted the Navajo Nation since the mid-1990s, include 

insufficient water supply for human and livestock consumption, inadequate flows for wildlife habitat, and 

water quality degradation. Currently, there is no collaborative watershed association on the Hopi 

Reservation; therefore the proposed work with Hopi stakeholders is essential for effective management of 

the Black Mesa watersheds.

California

Sierra Streams Institute, Further Development of Bear River Watershed Group

Reclamation Funding: $99,933 Total Project Cost: $159,288

The Sierra Streams Institute will further develop the Bear River Watershed Group in the western Sierra 

Nevada Mountains, which was initially established through a 2014 Cooperative Watershed Management 

grant from the Bureau of Reclamation. The Bear River Watershed Group will build on their recently 

completed "disturbance inventory" to develop a prioritization model, which will prioritize watershed 

management projects and will support the development of a more comprehensive watershed restoration 

plan. These planning efforts will focus on addressing the critical issues of the watershed, including water 

demands, endangered species concerns, invasive species, water quality issues, and drought impacts. The 

watershed lies within four of the fastest growing counties in California - Nevada, Placer, Sutter, and Yuba 

Counties - which has increased the demand for water and exacerbated environmental concerns.

Trinity County Resource Conservation District, Trinity River Watershed Council Expansion

Reclamation Funding: $100,000 Total Project Cost: $106,438

The Trinity County Resource Conservation District, located in Northwestern California, will further 

develop the Trinity River Watershed Council. Currently the Council focuses on management of the 

mainstem of the Trinity River from Lewiston Dam to the North Fork of the Trinity River. As part of this 

project, the Council will expand its focus to include the entire Trinity River Watershed, and will perform 

outreach to stakeholders in the newly represented areas. The Council will develop a watershed restoration 

plan and project concepts that will address major watershed issues, including water conflict, rising water 

temperatures, and forest health, all of which have grown worse due to recent severe drought conditions.
Montana

Beaverhead Conservation District, Further Development of the Beaverhead Watershed Committee

Reclamation Funding: $100,000 Total Project Cost: $117,500

The Beaverhead Watershed Committee, in Southwestern Montana, currently serves the Beaverhead 

Watershed downstream of Reclamation’s Clark Canyon Dam. The Committee will further develop by 

establishing partnerships with communities and stakeholders in the Red Rock and Horse Prairie watersheds 

located above Clark Canyon Dam, areas that lack active watershed groups. The Committee will develop a 

watershed restoration plan and project concepts to address five major critical watershed issues: (1) assess 

causes of recent algal blooms, (2) address water quality impairments through the total maximum daily load 

(TMDL) process, (3) protect Montana Fish Species of Concern such as Arctic grayling and Westslope 

Cutthroat Trout, (4) support the improvement of water rights administration in the Red Rock watershed, 

and (5) improve economic and environmental resilience to drought. A participant in the National Drought 

Resilience Partnership, the Committee will expand their efforts to build drought resilience across the three 

watersheds. 

Petroleum County Conservation District, Expanding Efforts to Coordinate Watershed Planning in 

the Musselshell River Watershed

Reclamation Funding: $61,011.50 Total Project Cost: $81,012

The Musselshell Watershed Coalition will further develop their watershed group in the Musselshell River 

Watershed, located in Central Montana. They will focus on critical issues that impact the watershed, 

including water shortages, flood damage, water quality issues, drought resilience, and aging irrigation 

infrastructure used to deliver water. Although the Coalition already has a diverse stakeholder group, they 

will further develop their group by writing bylaws and articles of incorporation, facilitating stakeholder 

meetings, producing outreach materials, and visiting new and existing partners. Additionally, they will use 

knowledge gained through outreach to identify goals and develop a watershed restoration plan that will 

outline a plan to address water quality, water conservation, and reduction of water conflicts. 

Sun River Watershed Group, Revise Work Plan to Build Long-Term Resiliency of the Sun River 

Watershed 

Reclamation Funding: $31,000 Total Project Cost: $72,500

The Sun River Watershed Group will further develop in order to build long-term ecological and economic 

resilience of the Sun River watershed in Northwestern Montana. Due to low flows and poor water quality, 

partially attributed to drought conditions, the Sun River and several tributaries are listed as Impaired 

Waters under the Clean Water Act, and the Sun River is listed as a Chronically Dewatered Stream by the 

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. To address these concerns, the Group will also develop 

watershed management project concepts and a watershed restoration plan focused on water conservation, 

ecological resilience, and increasing instream flows while meeting consumptive use needs. In order to 

ensure the continued collaboration of a diverse set of stakeholders, the Group will establish an outreach 

plan, including an online engagement tool.