Watershed & Environmental Planning
Watershed Planning
JW Associates has been active in watershed protection planning in Colorado since the Buffalo Creek Fire in 1996. We have helped many of the water supply and management agencies throughout Colorado, Utah and Wyoming prioritize and plan watershed protection in their forested watersheds. Our background in forest management, wildland hydrology and wildfire hazard assessments provides us with a strong skill set to provide our clients with effective solutions to large- and small-scale watershed problems.
Environmental Planning & NEPA
JW Associates has extensive planning experience, particularly with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for federal agencies. As a company we have completed more than 15 NEPA projects. Our senior staff have completed more than 50 NEPA projects, including projects for the US Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service, and GSA. Partners on these projects have included many other agencies and stakeholders.
Watershed Planning Projects
Project Actions
Watershed hazard and value assessments
Watershed prioritization and targeting watersheds with specific projects
Organize plans and strategies to protect and support critical watersheds
Inform stakeholder groups of the complexities of watershed health and resiliency
Identify specific actions for implementation with stakeholder groups
Benefits
Increased watershed resilience
Identification of hazards present from environmental events and human actions
Ability to identify targeted actions based on hazards
Knowledge of hazards helps agencies prepare for disturbances
Examples of Current & Completed Projects
Environmental Planning & NEPA Projects
Project Actions
Utilize experience with NEPA to identify process difficulties and create solutions especially as applied to US Forest Service Projects
Develop solutions to roadblocks in NEPA process especially with forest and watershed management projects
Planning Details and Qualifications
Brad Piehl, JW’s Watershed Planner, has completed 25 NEPA projects himself including many EAs. In 2002, he participated as a subject matter expert in a modeling exercise designed to identify process difficulties with the NEPA as applied to USDA Forest Service projects. This project (Reflecting Complexity & Impact of Laws on a USDA Forest Service Project) was used as support to Process Predicament – How Statutory, Regulatory and Administrative Factors Affect National Forest Management, a policy document that the Chief of the USDA Forest Service issued.
Benefits
A proactive approach to potential issues regarding natural resource management
