Select a Geographic Scope

SMPs can be valuable at many geographic scales—the entire watershed, a sub-basin, or a specific reach of river.

SMPs can be valuable at many geographic scales—the entire watershed, a sub-basin, or a specific reach of river. Selecting a geographic scope should be done after reviewing existing information and holding initial conversations. The geographic scope will influence the stakeholders and interests at the table, the capacity and budget needed to undertake the planning effort, and the questions asked in data assessment work. Often, a watershed-scale effort will use the initial assessment to narrow its focus on smaller reaches and/or specific concerns. Further break-down of planning units within the geographic scope is likely as the effort moves into data collection and assessment phases.

Examples of plans at the watershed scale include:

Middle Colorado IWMP

Yampa River IWMP

Example of plans at the sub-basin level include:

Upper Gunnison Basin Watershed Management Plan

Rio Grande, Conejos River, and Saguache Creek Stream Management Plans

Examples of plans at the reach scale include:

City of Steamboat Springs’ Yampa River Health Assessment and Streamflow Management Plan

Biological and Ecological Benefits from Chatfield Reallocation Environmental Pool Increased Releases

Resources

The following pre-planning questions may help uncover your initial motivation and goals for planning.

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How do your goals affect the scale at which you need to work (watershed vs. reach scale)?

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Have you considered a phased approach where you begin with a smaller number of reaches and expand in subsequent years to cover the entire basin?

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Do you have the human and financial capacity to conduct planning in a large number of reaches simultaneously?

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Are there social or political differences between sub-basins that require different goals or approaches?

SMP Nuts and Bolts

Define Purpose and Scope