Minutes of the Water Use Stakeholders Group

17 February 2000

16 March 2000

Minutes 3/16/00

1. Attendance:  Rob Adler (U.S.EPA),  Dave Armstrong (USGS),  Ken Ayars (RIDEM, Ag), Gardiner Bent (USGS), Craig Brown (USGS), Jim Campbell (USGS),  Alan Desbonnet (PWP/CRC-URI), Walt Galloway (facilitator), Jane Jackson (TNC), Eugenia Marks (ASRI), Galen McGovern (RIWRB), Jeff Nield (RIDEM Strategic Planning), Vicky O’Neal (NRCS),  Elizabeth Scott (RIDEM, Water Resources), Harold Ward (WPWA, Brown).

2. Jeff Nield reviewed related activities in watershed.

3. Alan Desbonnet reported on activities related to the Sea Grant publication Pawcatuck Watershed Resources:  A Management Issues Profile (Alan Desbonnet, 1999). 
1. Washington County Regional Planning Council (WCRPC) is in a dynamic process of goals formation and meeting with boards and commissions and  positively responsive to input from WUSG regarding water availability and use issues.  CRC serves WCRPC with administrative support and technical information.
2. Discussion ensued on how can WUSG respond to needs of WCRPC.

                                                               i.      Supplying water availability and use info from Queens project and Pawcatuck studies. 

                                                             ii.      Emphasize interconnection between ground and surface waters.

                                                            iii.      Encourage open space preservation as method of water management.

                                                           iv.      Providing access information for recharge areas and advice on RIGIS use for co-occurrence of resources, zoning coverage, etc.

                                                             v.      Raising issues on golf course consumption of water, possible re-use of gray water and stormwater.

                                                           vi.      Involving municipal officials in vision for watershed.

                                                          vii.      Developing water use implications of Comp. Plans, zoning, etc., and emphasizing regional nature of water resource.  Need to analyze conflicts between land us in Comp. Plans and water resource planning.

                                                        viii.      Review

                                                           ix.      WUSG outreach could be mutually beneficial as we develop our own Management Plan, which ultimately will be a planning tool for towns.

c.  Alan Desbonnet expressed willingness to serve as liaison between WCRPC and WUSG as concurrent plans emerge.

   . 

4. Dave Armstrong gave a power point presentation on the stream habitat assessment activities from June – December 1999. 
1. Objectives are to identify habitat types, document habitat availability at various stream flows, and measure temperature at various flows.
2. Gardiner Bent will use date to develop HSPF watershed model for Queen.
3. Aquatic organisms in Queen:

                                                               i.      Slides documented death of brook trout and redfin pickerel in summer of 1999.  Brook trout are temperature sensitive

                                                             ii.      EPA Lexington Lab will survey macro-invertebrates in summer 2000.  Fish studies will be done.

4. Questions:

                                                               i.      Suggested that power point presentation be pub on email list serve.

                                                             ii.      Reference site?  Below Usquepaugh dam.

5. Pledge Signing
1.  More signatories and assignment of contacts were suggested.

                                                               i.      Liz Scott will take to WCRPC on 4/20

                                                             ii.      CT communities – Dick Cooper

                                                            iii.      EDC – Galen

                                                           iv.      AG Council – Vicky & Ken

                                                             v.      RI Farm Bureau & SRICD – Steve D.

                                                           vi.      URI – Alan to Virginia Lee

                                                          vii.      RI DoH – Liz to Jan Reitsma to Patricia Nolan

2. Timing was discussed  for gathering commitments and having formal ceremony in July.

6. Facilitation:  WUSG thanked The Nature Conservancy for its grant and directed that a letter be sent requesting the remainder of the funds ($1,950) to be spent on special needs for facilitation.  As normal operating procedure we are pleased to have the services of Walt Galloway and Phil Morneault, professional facilitators.

7. Updates:
1. Meetings are occurring among agricultural community, DEM/Ag, and RI WRB regarding irrigation issues.  Preference expressed for management by riparian water rights and self-regulation.
2. Eagle Scout may take project of 180 residences for conservation retrofits.
3. Draft Water Use Mgt. Plan was distributed; further discussion assigned to Exec. Cmtee.
4. U.S.G.S. and NRCS are negotiating installation of irrigation meters.
5. Under EPA Grant:  Letter and post card questionnaire to Queen watershed residents has been reviewed.  Mailing list culled to 1235 households.
6. Ladd School re-development being followed.
7. Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Assoc. is preparing municipal outreach.
8. Candidate sites for wetlands restoration in Queen watershed sought by 5/31.  Contact Alicia Lehrer (SRICD) or Nick Miller (URI/NRS).
9. WHIP (Wildlife Habitat Improvement Projects) funds are available for South County projects.  Contact Betsy Clark at NRCS.

Minutes

                                                     February 17, 2000

Attendance: R.Adler (EPA), A.Ball (TU), A.Brown (Brown Univ), C.Brown ( USGS), J.Campbell (USGS), C.Cheney (Brown U), J.Cole (RI Canoe & Kayak Assoc.), D.Cooper (North Stonington Planner), E.Goldsmith (Brown U), J.Klein (Brown U),  A.Lehrer (SRICD), E.Marks (ASRI), G.McGovern (RI WRB), H.Meyer (Kingston Water District), J.Nield (RIDEM), V.O’Neal (NRCS), K.Rudestans (Brown U), E.Scott (RIDEM), C.Trocki (ASRI), H.Ward (WPWA),

Minutes of 2/17 meeting

1.  The agenda was shifted by consent of the attendees.  First agenda item, report on PWP Water Resources by Alan Desbonnet,  was postponed.

2.      Pledge:  Draft presented at 2/17/00 meeting was approved, and certain groups indicated a willingness to sign (WPWA, NRCS, TU, EPA, DEM, ASRI, RI Canoe & Kayak, Kingston Water Board, RI WRB)

a.       Discussion of  use of Pledge

- to introduce or raise awareness of WUSG’s work

- to exchange information with towns and other stakeholders

- to make connections for mutual needs and data

- to create a dialogue that will contribute to Water Management Plan

b.      The group decided to coordinate outreach with the outreach action of the

 larger PWP at the meeting already scheduled on March 8.

c.       Strategizing for effective presentation to Town Councils, the group decided to first present the pledge to the WCRPC and the South County Technical Assistance Advisory Committee.

d.      The group decided to increase awareness of project by holding signing events, which would be coordinated through municipal outreach efforts of Nina Rooks and with special help from individuals on WUSG, as with Henry Meyer for coordination with South Kingstown.

e.       Discussion of support that signing pledge implies

- financial support

- advice

- time

- commitment to group effort towards water resource dialogue

- spirit of cooperation

3.      Clarification of administration of WUSG

a.       Coordinator’s role

- point person for communications among WUSG

- reporter to and about other related activities and groups in Pawcatuck

Watershed

                        - executor under guidance of Executive Committee to follow up on action

plan

                        - contact point for changes in meeting

b.      Executive Committee  (Vicky O’Neal, Galen McGovern, Jeff Nield, Rob Adler, Elizabeth Scott, Nina Rooks, Eugenia Marks)

- keep process moving between meetings including follow-up on action

items, deferred business, agenda refinement/structuring

                        - steward the “big picture”

                        - review draft minutes before distribution

c.       EPA Wetlands Grant to SRICD/ SRICD role

- fiscal agent

- adminstrator and reporter on grant to EPA

- communicate with irrigators in Queen-Usquepaug (2 meetings)

                        - subcontract to WPWA

                                    + communications with municipalities

                                    + coordinate habitat assessment volunteers in Queens sub

watershed

                        - subcontract to ASRI

                                    + administrative duties of WUSG (minutes and meeting  PR)

                                    + communications with residential users

                                    + wetlands and drought outreach through media & local opp’ties

4.      March meeting

a.       Report on WCRPC – issues with action implications for WUSG:  Alan

Desbonnet

b.      Drought planning:  Henry Meyer

c.       Preliminary report on Habitat Assessment & needs for 2000 ($ for

telemetry for real-time data): USGS/ Dave Armstrong

d.      Status of Action Plan, follow-up to PWP 3/8 meeting:  Jeff Nield

e.       Reports on meetings with irrigators:  Ken Ayars

5.      Meeting Evaluation:

a.       What worked:

- spirit of cooperation

- adoption of pledge

- food and drinks were great

- building connections between this group and other work in region

- limiting expectations and links to other meetings

b.      Change to

- greater focus on specific outcomes

- more discussion of technical concerns and policy; less time on

administration

                        - limit time for discussion; ask coordinator to provide written background

                        - bring closure to outstanding issues