Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Are local water agencies required to join the Southern Sierra Regional Water Management Group?
A: Participation in the Regional Water Management Group is strictly voluntary.
Q2. Who can join the Regional Water Management Group?
A: Any entity with a link to water management in the Southern Sierra can participate in the RWMG. These can include local, state, and federal agencies; Native American tribes, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and businesses.
Q3. What are the benefits to participating in the Regional Water Management Group?
A: Participants have the opportunity to contribute to regional water planning, share ideas, and learn what other agencies are doing. Participants are also eligible to apply for certain funding opportunities from the State of California.
Q4. Is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) a binding document?
A: The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is not a binding or regulatory document. The MOU is a statement of mutual understanding among the signatories on how to govern the Regional Water Management Group (RWMG). Major topics addressed in the MOU include RWMG membership, geographic boundaries, committees, responsibilities, public outreach, and decision making.
Q5. What is the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP)?
A: The Southern Sierra Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) is a voluntary, non-regulatory planning document to address water management in the Southern Sierra. The plan identifies broadly-supported water management goals and objectives that provide a framework to address issues such as water supply, water quality, habitat and environment, recreation, and land use.
Q6. What are the boundaries of the Southern Sierra IRWMP?
A: The Southern Sierra IRWMP covers 6,200 square miles. It includes the foothill and Sierra Nevada portions of Fresno and Tulare counties, and a small portion of Madera County. The boundaries also include the upper watersheds of the San Joaquin, Kings, Kaweah, Tule, White and Kern Rivers, in addition to several smaller stream watersheds.
Q7. Who administers the IRWMP grant program?
A: The local Regional Water Management Group is self governing and managed by the participating stakeholders. The IRWMP program is governed by the State of California Department of Water Resources (DWR). The DWR provides guidelines for IRWMP documents and solicits grant applications from regional water management groups with an IRWMP.
Q8. How much funding is available through the IRWMP Grant Program?
A: Grant funding through the IRWMP program varies through time. State Bond Programs, such as Proposition 84, have provided hundreds of millions of dollars statewide for IRWMP planning and implementation projects. Refer to the DWR IRWMP website for more details on current funding opportunities (http://www.water.ca.gov/irwm/grants/index.cfm)
Q9. Where will the funds be allocated?
A: IRWMP grants are allocated to 11 specific funding regions in the State. Within these regions several IRWMPs compete for the allocated funds. The Southern Sierra IRWMP is in the Tulare/Kern Funding Region. Refer to the DWR website for more details (http://www.water.ca.gov/irwm/grants/fundingarea.cfm).
Q10. What do the acronyms listed in the IRWMP Guidelines mean?
A: Common acronyms on this website and in the IRWMP include:
Q11. Who do I contact with questions about the Southern Sierra RWMG or IRWMP?
A: Please contact Chris Moi of the Sequoia River Lands Trust for questions on the RWMG or IRWMP at [email protected] or 559-738-0211
Q12. Where do I send a signed copy of the MOU?
A: Please send a signed copy of the MOU to Chris Moi at Sequoia Riverlands Trust at 427 South Garden Street, Visalia, CA 93277.
A: Participation in the Regional Water Management Group is strictly voluntary.
Q2. Who can join the Regional Water Management Group?
A: Any entity with a link to water management in the Southern Sierra can participate in the RWMG. These can include local, state, and federal agencies; Native American tribes, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and businesses.
Q3. What are the benefits to participating in the Regional Water Management Group?
A: Participants have the opportunity to contribute to regional water planning, share ideas, and learn what other agencies are doing. Participants are also eligible to apply for certain funding opportunities from the State of California.
Q4. Is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) a binding document?
A: The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is not a binding or regulatory document. The MOU is a statement of mutual understanding among the signatories on how to govern the Regional Water Management Group (RWMG). Major topics addressed in the MOU include RWMG membership, geographic boundaries, committees, responsibilities, public outreach, and decision making.
Q5. What is the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP)?
A: The Southern Sierra Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) is a voluntary, non-regulatory planning document to address water management in the Southern Sierra. The plan identifies broadly-supported water management goals and objectives that provide a framework to address issues such as water supply, water quality, habitat and environment, recreation, and land use.
Q6. What are the boundaries of the Southern Sierra IRWMP?
A: The Southern Sierra IRWMP covers 6,200 square miles. It includes the foothill and Sierra Nevada portions of Fresno and Tulare counties, and a small portion of Madera County. The boundaries also include the upper watersheds of the San Joaquin, Kings, Kaweah, Tule, White and Kern Rivers, in addition to several smaller stream watersheds.
Q7. Who administers the IRWMP grant program?
A: The local Regional Water Management Group is self governing and managed by the participating stakeholders. The IRWMP program is governed by the State of California Department of Water Resources (DWR). The DWR provides guidelines for IRWMP documents and solicits grant applications from regional water management groups with an IRWMP.
Q8. How much funding is available through the IRWMP Grant Program?
A: Grant funding through the IRWMP program varies through time. State Bond Programs, such as Proposition 84, have provided hundreds of millions of dollars statewide for IRWMP planning and implementation projects. Refer to the DWR IRWMP website for more details on current funding opportunities (http://www.water.ca.gov/irwm/grants/index.cfm)
Q9. Where will the funds be allocated?
A: IRWMP grants are allocated to 11 specific funding regions in the State. Within these regions several IRWMPs compete for the allocated funds. The Southern Sierra IRWMP is in the Tulare/Kern Funding Region. Refer to the DWR website for more details (http://www.water.ca.gov/irwm/grants/fundingarea.cfm).
Q10. What do the acronyms listed in the IRWMP Guidelines mean?
A: Common acronyms on this website and in the IRWMP include:
- IRWMP: Integrated Regional Water Management Plan
- RWMG: Regional Water Management Group
- IRWM: Integrated Regional Water Management
- SS: Southern Sierra
- DWR: Department of Water Resources
Q11. Who do I contact with questions about the Southern Sierra RWMG or IRWMP?
A: Please contact Chris Moi of the Sequoia River Lands Trust for questions on the RWMG or IRWMP at [email protected] or 559-738-0211
Q12. Where do I send a signed copy of the MOU?
A: Please send a signed copy of the MOU to Chris Moi at Sequoia Riverlands Trust at 427 South Garden Street, Visalia, CA 93277.