Collaboratives Identify with Different Goals

Watershed Protection Pilots

Some collaboratives form out of a specific intent to address a drinking water challenge (for instance, to reduce a contaminant of concern). For example, an applicant for 319 Program funding might partner with local stakeholders to reduce atrazine leaching into a drinking water reservoir.

A 2009 report by the U.S. Forest Service called “Private Forests, Public Benefits” cited the Piscataqua-Salmon Falls watershed as heavily threatened by land use conversion. To address this concern, stakeholders in the watershed formed the Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative. The group staged land conservation workshops and other actions that helped landowners sign 21 conservation contracts covering 4,000 acres.

Watershed Management Group

Many stakeholder groups are created by public agencies to accomplish a specific task or fulfill a legal or other mandate. Once the initial objective has been satisfied, however, stakeholder groups often coalesce into long-term partnerships to implement watershed plans or otherwise assist with management efforts. Watershed management groups become separate, self-supporting entities focused on watershed assessment, planning, and management tasks. Some of these groups gradually evolve into nonprofits, while others remain ad hoc advisory groups with stable organizational sponsors (EPA 2013).

In 1990, the Oregon DEQ designated the Lower Umatilla Basin as a Ground Water Management Area due to elevated nutrient levels. Lower Umatilla area residents and governments formed the Groundwater Management Area Committee, comprised of local stakeholders. The Committee advised state agencies charged withdeveloping an action plan to reduce groundwater contamination.

Proactive Compliance

Some collaborativesform out of the need to comply with regulations. For example, businesses protecting themselvesagainst violations can band together with public partners. Such collaboratives may share information on compliance procedures, but also implement measures like stormwater managementtechnologies and waste storage protocols.

The Hamilton-New Baltimore Consortium in the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, Ohio is a partnership between four municipal water systems and three large industries. The Consortium formed in order to ensure industry compliance with local ordinances. Among its breadth of activities, the Consortium helps industries obey local zoning ordinances as well as regulations on temporary storage, facility closure, and aboveground regulated substance storage units. It encourages industries to register information on the types, quantities, location, and manner of storage of regulated substances with the Consortium Manager.

Information-Sharing

Many collaboratives begin as hands-on workshops in which design professionals, conservationists, or others share technical guidance on protective actions. For example, Smart Growth America leads one-day design circles for stakeholder groups interested in green infrastructure, Brownfield remediation, and other areas. The EPA and members of the National Source Water Collaborative have supported 67 workshops across the US since 2004.

In Ames, Iowa, a 2-hour workshop provided an opportunity for Resources Conservation and Development (RC&D) staff and IDNR staff to discussion a contract to allow RC&D staff to support Iowa in implementing SWP projects with a focus on nitrate reduction. Iowa has conducted six workshops with EPA support.

Study Circles

Study circles are regular sessions that convene members of a cultural, professional, or special-interest community to share information on salient local issues. Discussion sessions, often led by a community facilitator, cover topics that may span from personal experience to strategies for action.

The Nebraska Wellhead Protection Network brings together all individuals, organizations, and agencies in Nebraska that help communities develop and adopt wellhead protection (WHP) programs. A nonprofit, the Groundwater Foundation, serves as a facilitator and record-keeper for the WHPN. Regular meetings include “drop-in” sessions for senators, and cover topics such as drought and the impacts of hydraulic fracturing.
To learn more, access the Study Circles Resource Center at (University of Virginia 2001).