8. Project Schedule

The schedule for implementing the proposed activities can be examined by the implementation program category as described in Section 6 of this report. Those broad categories are:

• Information/Education
• Best Management Practices
• Technical Assistance

These broad categories are assigned action codes to more easily differentiate between types of proposed activities. Information and education related activities were coded 1, best management practices 2, and technical assistance 3. The various activities are compiled in Appendix A, the proposed implementation schedule. The three broad categories of implementation activities are further described below.

8.1 Information/Education

The sharing of information, whether in the form of watershed data, educational materials, additional implementation funding sources, or other information is vital to the successful implementation of the proposed activities described in this report. The project manager will remain as the coordinator of the information sharing processes, but cooperation between local governments and agencies, technical advisors, and the general public regarding information sharing is crucial.

Numerous avenues for information sharing are outlined in this report, including the following:

• Newsletters
• Assembly of existing general water quality educational materials and creation of York Creek-specific materials. WMEAC has agreed to be involved in this process, and they have an existing library of material.
• Radio, newspaper, and outdoor advertising
• Public speaking engagements, similar to those conducted during the study phase of this project

Completion of three or four newsletters per year can serve as an evaluation method for the progression of information sharing efforts. Other milestones in evaluating the sharing of project information will be in the form of public meetings, which should be held at least annually to ensure that the level of public support for the project remains high.

8.2 Best Management Practices

While technical assistance, public education, and data sharing are all crucial to achieving the stated goals of the project, equally important is the implementation of structural, managerial, and vegetative best management practices recommended in this report. The installation of stormwater controls, stabilization of streambanks and beds, revegetation of denuded areas, and the like, is more easily monitored than is information sharing. Therefore, it will be easier to establish and nest site specific implementation goals within the larger goal for the entire watershed.

As stated elsewhere in this plan, the initial focus of the implementation period is the control of stormwater runoff from existing impervious areas and sites of new construction. A specific pollutant reduction goal of a 40% decrease in peak flows following rain events has been included in this report. This goal can be altered as needed during the early phases of implementation. Only after local officials and agencies are comfortable with the reductions of stormwater volumes should activities like downstream bank stabilization be conducted. For example, if a lesser level of peak flow change dramatically improves stream conditions downstream, then bank stabilization measures could begin before the stated 40% reduction goal is reached.

While all varieties of implementation activities are important to reaching our goal, and all three categories must be employed in order to ensure that the goal is reached, it is important to remember that the watershed is a complex, dynamic system, and the methods selected to manipulate that system must be equally flexible.

8.3 Technical Assistance

Technical assistance should be provided to implementation agencies throughout the entire implementation process. Among the providers of technical assistance are:

• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• Township, County, and City Engineers

One method for evaluating the effectiveness of technical assistance programs could be a workshop or seminar for local officials, contractors, volunteers, residents, etc. who are directly involved in the implementation process. Conducting such a workshop by the end of the first construction season (proposed as fall of 1996) could be a milestone in evaluating the progression of the implementation schedule. Included in the seminar (or other meeting format) would be an evaluation of the providers of technical support by those being assisted. This kind of public feedback is important in order to track the level of local enthusiasm for the project.