The Ventura River Watershed Council is a stakeholder group for watershed planning in the Ventura River Watershed. It is an open group with active participation by government agencies, water and sanitation districts, environmental and educational non-profits, agricultural organizations, community volunteer groups, as well as engineers, biologists, businesses and private citizens.
The Watershed Council contributed to the development of a countywide watershed plan, the Ventura County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, and completed a watershed management plan for the Ventura River watershed. The Watershed Council is also a key participant in the Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County, a countywide program that provided the initial impetus for the formation of the council.
Watershed coordination—the work of the Watershed Council—is about different agencies, organizations, and community members working collaboratively, across their traditional boundaries or service areas or areas of interest, to acknowledge the larger system that connects them—the watershed. Together these entities identify areas of overlap and opportunities to work together toward common goals, and nudge existing organizational structures towards a more holistic watershed view.
Mission
The mission of the Ventura River Watershed Council is to facilitate and support efforts by individuals, agencies, and organizations to maintain and improve the health and sustainability of the Ventura River watershed for the benefit of the people and ecosystems that depend upon it.
Priorities
The Ventura River Watershed Council has identified the following as priorities, or goals, in the watershed:
Sufficient Local Water Supplies
Sufficient local water supplies to allow continued independence from imported water and reliably support ecosystem and human (including urban and agricultural) needs in the watershed now and in the future, through wise water management.
Clean Water
Water of sufficient quality to meet regulatory requirements and safeguard public and ecosystem health.
Integrated Flood Management
An integrated approach to flood management that improves flood protection, restores natural river processes, enhances floodplain ecosystems, increases water infiltration and storage, and balances sediment input and transport.
Healthy Ecosystems
Healthy aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem structures, functions and processes that support a diversity of native habitats.
Access to Nature
Ample and appropriate opportunities for the public to enjoy the watershed’s natural areas and open spaces associated with the watershed’s aquatic habitats, to provide educational opportunities, and to gain appreciation of the need to protect the watershed and its ecosystems.
Responsible Land and Resource Management
Land and resources managed in a manner that supports social and economic goals and is compatible with healthy ecosystem goals.
Coordinated Watershed Planning
A Watershed Council that fairly represents stakeholders; collaborates on developing an integrated watershed management plan to guide watershed priorities; facilitates communication between public, private and nonprofit stakeholders; educates and engages stakeholders; provides a forum for collecting, sharing and analyzing information about, and creatively and proactively responding to, watershed issues; and maximizes grant funding opportunities.