Frequently Asked Questions

An IRWM Plan is a voluntary and comprehensive non-regulatory planning document prepared on a region-wide scale that identifies broadly-supported priority water resources projects and programs with multiple benefits. An IRWMP relies upon specific and focused local and sub-regional planning efforts for its foundation, and investigates a broad spectrum of water resources issues including water supply, flood management, water quality, environmental restoration, recreation, land use, environmental justice, stakeholder involvement, and far-reaching community and statewide interests. A key difference in IRWMPs (as compared to other planning documents) is that IRWMPs integrate multiple water management strategies to solve multiple priority challenges. IRWMPs can help attract state and other funding to fund regional projects. Millions of dollars have been allocated for IRWMPs by the state through Propositions 50, 84, and 1. Grants are awarded through the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).

IRWM planning is a new process created by state water agencies to promote cooperative, “big picture” water planning at the regional level. Historically, individual water agencies have pursued smaller, localized water projects and often competed against neighboring agencies for water and grant funding. Even worse, unincorporated communities, non-profit groups and private water agencies were often left out of the process due to limited staff and funding resources. With the passage of state Proposition 50 in 2002, the state began requiring that applicants seeking state water grants first work together to establish a collaborative, regional approach to water management and find areas of mutual benefit. This requirement also applies to portions of Proposition 84 and Proposition 1 funds.

With this inclusive systems approach, local agencies and governments, as well as other interested stakeholders, can be more flexible and act more efficiently. This approach makes better use of existing local resources. This approach also integrates multiple aspects of managing water and related resources such as water quality, local and imported water supplies, watershed protection, wastewater treatment and recycling, and protection of local ecosystems.

  • Encourages a broad, long-term perspective
  • Identifies broad benefits, costs, and trade-offs
  • Promotes sustainable resource management
  • Increases regional self-sufficiency
  • Increases regional drought preparedness
  • Uses open forums that include all communities
  • Promotes coordination and collaboration among local agencies and governments
  • Uses sound science, best data, and local knowledge
  • Collaboration strengthens regional clout, reduces conflict, increases benefits across the region and may reduce costs for individual agencies.
Integrated planning involves local agencies and interest groups working together to coordinate planning activities across jurisdictional boundaries. In this regional approach, individual agencies’ efforts are combined in order to leverage resources and meet multiple water resource needs at the same time. For instance, water supply, water quality, and habitat projects might be combined with a flood control project in a manner that benefits a much larger area than the original jurisdiction. The result is a multi-objective approach that multiplies the benefits of any individual agency’s single project.
Water suppliers that form partnerships with other entities in their region can accomplish projects and provide benefits that no single agency can do alone. For example, partnerships may allow agencies to improve their water supply reliability by establishing emergency connections with neighboring water suppliers; increase operational flexibility by participating in regional groundwater management and conjunctive use; protect water quality by participating in regional watershed management; reduce costs by cooperating with other agencies on water conservation and outreach programs; facilitate new projects by contributing to local habitat conservation plans; and help achieve many other regional resource management objectives.

Partnerships can lead to the preparation of integrated regional water management plans and regional eligibility for certain grant funds. Early coordination with land planning agencies may help water suppliers and land planners anticipate and plan for future growth, and make sure that additional regional growth will not exceed water suppliers’ capabilities. Ultimately, regional partnerships will enable optimum management of water and other resources within a region.
  • Position stakeholders for IRWM funding (available through bond propositions)
  • Retain local control over water management decisions
  • Identify and prioritize projects at the regional level that are then communicated to local, state, and federal agencies
  • Build and strengthen long-term working relationships (intraregional and with adjacent partners)
  • Forum to build new alliances and discuss planning for future challenges
No. Participation in an IRWMP is voluntary. However, if an agency or group is seeking IRWMP grant funding, then the project must be included in an IRWMP and the project sponsor must adopt the IRWMP if the grant is awarded. However, water agencies and groups can still independently pursue projects using their own funding sources. Adopting an IRWMP is not a requirement for federal funding or for non-IRWMP related state funding.
  • Leadership by regional management group
  • Identify regional water related objectives
  • Document range of water management strategies
  • Show “integration” – how water management strategies work together to achieve objectives
  • Implementation strategy, impacts and benefits, data management, relationship to local planning, stakeholder involvement
No, because an IRWMP is only a planning tool and is not considered a “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA Guideline Sections 15262 and 15306). However, the individual project sponsors, i.e., those seeking to implement specific projects, will be responsible for complying with all local and state environmental requirements (e.g., General Plans, Coastal Plans and CEQA). Therefore, participation in an IRWMP does not change the timing or level of any environmental analysis for each project within an IRWMP.
For a detailed description of Prop 1 click here
On November 4, 2014, California voters approved Proposition 1, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. Proposition 1 authorized $510 million in Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) funding. Funds are allocated to 12 hydrologic region-based Funding Areas.
The Proposition 1 IRWM Grant Program, administered by DWR, provides funding for projects that help meet the long-term water needs of the state, including:
  • Assisting water infrastructure systems adapt to climate change;
  • Providing incentives throughout each watershed to collaborate in managing the region’s water resources and setting regional priorities for water infrastructure; and
  • Improving regional water self-reliance, while reducing reliance on Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Proposition 84, Chapter 2, and Proposition 1E, Article 4 (Integrated Regional Water Management [IRWM] Grant Program), administered by DWR, provided funding for projects that assists local public agencies to meet long term water needs of the state including the delivery of safe drinking water and the protection of water quality and the environment. Proposition 84 funding has been fully expended.

While IRWMPs may be administered by government agencies, the plan itself is non-binding and non-regulatory and is not creating a new “layer” of government. The effort does, however, develop stronger relationships between the various participating agencies and organizations which enables more efficient decisions to be made on water related projects within the planning area. Indeed, the IRWM program should increase local control and prioritization of water needs and projects.

There are 48 active IRWM regions in the State, all of which are required to have IRWM Plans. DWR periodically requires these Plans to be updated.

For areas with completed plans, additional funds have been secured to fund projects that utilize multiple strategies resulting in multiple benefits. With increased coordination between the involved organizations, projects that improve water supply reliability; long-term attainment and maintenance of water quality standards; eliminate or reduce pollution in impaired water and sensitive habitat areas; planning and implementation of multi-purpose flood control programs; and drinking water and water quality projects that serve disadvantaged communities have all been undertaken.

For more specific information regarding specific IRWM efforts across California, visit the Department of Water Resources website: https://water.ca.gov/Work-With-Us/Grants-And-Loans/IRWM-Grant-Programs

The Inyo-Mono IRWMP project is comprised of a broad array of stakeholders throughout Inyo and Mono Counties as well as stakeholders from northern San Bernardino and Kern Counties. Currently there are more than thirty public, private and not-for-profit entities actively working towards the goal of establishing and implementing an IRWMP for Inyo and Mono Counties (see Meet the Group). Those involved represent interests ranging from federal, state, and local government; resource and water agencies; non-profit and conservation organizations; Native American tribal organizations; educational organizations; business interests; agriculture and ranching groups; and individuals having vested interests in how water is managed in eastern California.

The Inyo-Mono IRWMP is governed by two committees. The Regional Water Management Group (RWMG) includes representatives from all entities participating in the IRWM Planning process. Additionally, there is an Administrative Committee which serves as the project’s management team. The Admin. Committee helps guide the larger IRWMP throughout the planning and implementation process by proposing policies, recommendations, and drafts to the larger decision-making body, the RWMG.

Our goal is to have representation from all groups within the planning boundaries that have interests in water resources management.

Anybody is welcome to attend RWMG meetings, and we always have a conference call option available for people who cannot attend in person. We encourage any organization or individual within the IRWMP planning boundaries with interests in water resources planning and management to attend RWMG meetings. For a schedule of RWMG meetings, please visit the Calendar of Events on the home page.

All parties involved in the Inyo-Mono IRWMP are guided by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which was developed and approved by the RWMG. The MOU describes the governance structure, defines roles and responsibilities, provides “ground rules”, and lays out the decision making process for the RWMG and Administrative Committee. It is anticipated that the current MOU will be reviewed and revised as the Inyo-Mono IRWMP continues to make progress. The MOU is available on the Meet the Group page.

The Inyo-Mono planning region includes Sierra Nevada and desert watersheds that share common water resource issues and hydrologic connection. The specific boundaries are:

To the northwest, the Inyo-Mono IRWMP boundary follows the County division between Alpine and Mono Counties.

To the west and southwest, the Inyo-Mono IRWMP boundary follows the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which also matches the Inyo and Mono County jurisdictional lines.

To the south, the Inyo-Mono IRWMP boundary follows the following watershed boundaries. These watersheds are shared by Inyo, Kern, and San Bernardino Counties.

  • Indian Wells Watershed
  • Searles Watershed
  • Owls Head Watershed
  • Amargosa Watershed
  • Mesquite Watershed
  • Panamint Watershed

To the northeast, the Inyo-Mono IRWMP boundary follows the Nevada state line.

Nevada “Area of Interest” – The Nevada side of the watersheds shared by California and Nevada are considered an area of interest, though work in Nevada cannot be conducted with California grant funding.

You can view various maps of the IRWM region here: https://inyo-monowater.org/maps/.

The initial Inyo-Mono IRWM Plan was completed and approved by the RWMG in late 2010. The Plan was updated in 2012, 2014, and 2019. All four versions of the Plan are available here: https://inyo-monowater.org/our-work/inyo-mono-irwm-plan/.

As of early 2020, we are working on the third year of our Prop. 1 Disadvantaged Communities Involvement grant. This grant will be complete in April 2021. We have also just received a preliminary funding recommendation for the first round of Prop. 1 Implementation funding. This grant will fund three high-priority construction projects in the region. We are also starting to look ahead to the second round of implementation funding, which will be available in 2021 or 2022.

Our main priority at this time is writing and submitting the planning grant application to DWR. We expect that the deadline for this application will be early 2009. If DWR funding is secured, the next phase of the Inyo-Mono IRWM Project will be to develop the plan itself that includes funding proposals for those projects recognized as being highest priority based on the Planning Committee’s review. Development and implementation of the IRWMP is expected to take 12-14 months.

Managing our vital water resources is most efficient and effective when performed cooperatively, rather than individually. In addition, as state funding is becoming more oriented toward regional planning, it is in the Inyo-Mono region’s best interests in order to successfully compete for future funding opportunities. The Inyo-Mono IRWMP will serve as the blueprint to facilitate this type of regional cooperation. Specific outcomes that might result from the process include:

  • Developing a regional plan that considers multipurpose projects that are more affordable even without grants.
  • Solidifying collaborative working relationships with other entities in the region.
  • Setting priorities that must have broad acceptance to attract sustained funding and implementation.
  • Providing access to funds for regional priority project types (most anything water related).
  • Providing a voice in Sacramento with state water managers for our rural region.
  • Allowing regional prioritization of important projects, including water supply, conservation and efficiency; storm water capture, storage, treatment, and management; groundwater recharge, banking, exchange, recycling and management; groundwater cleanup and contaminant removal and desalting; non-point source/storm water management/monitoring and flood control; and watershed management planning and implementation/habitat/wetlands.
We strive to keep content on our website as current as possible. If you have questions that are not answered from materials on the website, you are encouraged to contact anyone on the Program Staff. Additionally, periodic briefings will be distributed to local media, and RWMG participants will be providing updates to their various constituencies.
Ensuring an open, transparent process is essential to developing an IRWMP that is sustainable and implementable. Ongoing public participation at every stage of the plan development process will help ensure all the key issues are addressed and build the foundation for broad-based support of the IRWMP. For a regional effort to be comprehensive, effective and sustainable, the participation of all key agencies, jurisdictions and interest groups is essential for developing and implementing the plan. Participation is also critical to ensuring that all major issues and interests are addressed in the plan.

By attending an upcoming Regional Water Management Group meeting or contacting Program Staff to discuss the effort.

If you would like more information about the Inyo-Mono IRWMP, feel free to contact any of the Program Staff listed under the contacts link.