Colorado River Basin - Public Participation

Public Review and Input

The Colorado River Region tries to foster public participation during all phases of TMDL development to address as many technical and social issues as possible early in the process. Each TMDL project will have a unique approach to public participation dependent on the size of the watershed, the nature of the problem, who and how many interested parties or stakeholders emerge, etc. Public participation will at times take on one or more of these forms: occasional public workshops, regularly scheduled steering committee meetings, Technical Advisory committee meetings, Regional Board staff presentations at other organization's meetings, or written solicitations or request for comments sent by mail.

Public Comment

The public has the opportunity and legal right to review and comment on TMDLs before they are made a part of the Basin Plan. Essentially this means that the public has the opportunity to comment on Draft TMDLs in writing prior to Regional Board Hearings or verbally at Regional Board Meetings before a TMDL is adopted and implemented.

Information Solicitation for List

Bodies of water are listed as impaired after several steps. One of the steps is the review of information and/or data by Regional Board staff pertaining to a body of water. Regional Board staff will notify the public when the review process will occur, and publicly solicit information or data that would lead to a listing of a body of water.

Opportunities for Involvement

This section provides other opportunities for the public to be involved in the TMDL process. If the section below is empty, this implies that no specific event is on the agenda in the near future. However, remember that the waters of the state belong to its citizens, and you are encouraged to participate in the process designed to protect this resource. Simply call the Regional Water Quality Control Board office and make inquiries to the staff person working on the body of water near you.