Information

Project Description

• The Dewberry team will take a community centered, comprehensive approach to watershed management planning. Our team will incorporate EPA’s six steps in watershed planning with EPA’s nine key watershed management elements “a” through “i” into a broad overall watershed management approach for improvement and protection of the six things people value most about living along the Alabama coast. The goal is to establish a plan that is founded on equitable, practical and buildable restoration and remediation alternatives that demonstrate the communities’ commitment to restoring the ecologic as well as the economic functions and values of the watershed such as enhanced public access, use and enjoyment. The Dewberry team has a wealth of applied experience with program implementation planning, preliminary planning, and design that produces cost effective projects with clear conceptual renderings, schedules, and trackable milestones, developing monitoring and educational components, and identifying technical and financial assistance. Stakeholders will have a voice in scoring and prioritizing solutions, actions, and plans. The final WMP will be the communities’ plan.

Outreach Plan

• Throughout the course of the project, the entire West Fowl River watershed community will be kept informed of milestones and accomplishments of the study process and will be continuously encouraged to participate in community meetings and surveys. Resource materials to be developed and used for the process will include PowerPoint presentations, maps, graphics, surveys, fact sheets, worksheets, invitation letters, and lists of active community participants. Our innovative approach is as follows: Identify Stakeholders, Recruit Stakeholders, Community Meetings.
• The completed WMP will be presented and discussed to engage locally elected and state officials in an open meeting or other open house forum. It will be essential to engage stakeholders that may be responsible for project implementation such as City, County, EPA, and FWS. Some of these implementation agencies may also provide funding for potential projects. It is anticipated that the WMP will be adopted in full along with a resolution requesting that the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) and the MBNEP continue working closely with the County in its watershed education programs and in development of the implementation phase of the project.

West Fowl River Stakeholder Survey
This survey should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. We look forward to working with you throughout the coming months to learn about the Mississippi Sound Complex and to develop a road map for this area's long term prosperity!