STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

Watershed Roundtables

What is a watershed roundtable?

A watershed roundtable is a group of people with a vested interest in local water quality. In Virginia, watershed roundtables aren't always identified as "roundtables" per se. For example, they may have such names as the Big Sandy River Basin Coalition, the Rappahannock River Basin Commission and the Pure Water 2000 Forum. A roundtable can be the driving force in education, outreach and solutions to restore and protect water quality. Roundtables generally involve a wide range of participants:

Elected officials
Local government staff
Agricultural community
Planning district commissions
Business and industry
Water and sewer utilities
Commercial fishermen
Soil and water conservation districts
Developers
Interested citizens
Environmental groups
Tourism and recreational groups
State and federal agency staff
Public service authorities

What roundtables do?

They address many common water quality concerns, by:

Hosting forums to present watershed issues on local water quality and land use.
Educating citizens about water quality.
Seeking grants, donations and other funding sources.
Coordinating workshops.
Collecting and analyzing water quality data.
Participating in the TMDL planning process.
Planning and implementing watershed-wide water quality goals.

Why get involved?

Roundtables help all participants. Clean water is key to maintaining a high quality of life in Virginia. Through involvement in roundtables, people work as a group to ensure clean water for drinking, for business and for recreation.

Community watershed groups associated with roundtables can be more effective in gaining support from local governments and others to sponsor water quality projects. Partnering with the local roundtable brings a community group into close contact with needed political, technical and financial resources.

Through roundtable involvement, localities' officials can be more aware of funding opportunities, restoration projects and other watershed events taking place in the community. By networking with a watershed roundtable's wide range of interests, multiple resources may be available to support local government projects.

Business leaders taking part in a roundtable can help shape solutions within the watershed. Roundtable meetings with key community members can showcase the water quality contributions of the business community.