Design an Implementation Program - Develop an Implementation Schedule | Watershed Central

The schedule component of a watershed plan involves turning goals and objectives into specific tasks. The schedule should include a timeline of when each phase of the step will be implemented and accomplished, as well as the agency/organization responsible for implementing the activity. In addition, your schedule should be broken down into increments that you can reasonably track and review. You will prepare more detailed schedules as part of your annual work plans. This section should result in element f of the nine elements. Element f is a "schedule for implementing the nonpoint source management measures identified in the plan that is reasonably expeditious."

In developing schedules, it helps to obtain assistance from those who have had previous experience in applying the recommended actions. Locate experienced resource agency staff and previous management practice project managers where possible to identify the key steps. Be sure to note sequence or timing issues that need to be coordinated to keep tasks on track.

Implementation Matrix

To provide a clear guide for stakeholders implementing the watershed plan, it is recommended to develop an implementation plan matrix, which can help to increase the likelihood of completing actions on time and within budget, as well as facilitating the development of annual work plans. Worksheet 12-1 (below), taken from Appendix B of EPA's Watershed Handbook (PDF) (28 pp, 320K, About PDF), is an example of an implementation matrix.

Worksheet 12-1 Sample Implementation Plan Matrix
Watershed Goals Goal 1: Restore water quality to meet designated uses for fishing Objective 1: Reduce sedimentation by 20 percent
Tasks for G1/O1	Respon. Party	Total Costs	Funding Mechanism	Indicators	Milestones
					Short < 1 yr	Med < 3 yr	Long < 7 yr	Remaining
Task 1 Seek donation of conservation easements from property owners along Baron Creek	Local land trust	$0		# acres donated	2	7	10	10
I/E Activities Task 1 Hold informational workshop with property owners Develop brochures on how to donate easements	Local land trust	$3,000	Sect. 319 funding	# workshops held # participants # requests for assistance	3 40 2	3 45 4		0
Task 2 Purchase greenway alongside Baron Creek	County park district	$2,000/ mile	County general funds	# miles purchased	2	4	7	5
I/E Activities Task 2 None
Task 3 Develop ordinance requiring a 150-ft easement for new construction in floodplain of Baron Creek	Local municipalities	$0		# ordinances adopted	1	2	4	0
I/E Activities Task 3 Run articles in local newspapers on benefits of ordinances	Watershed Committee	$0		# articles	2	5	8	0
Task 4 Install 300 ft of riparian buffer along Baron Creek	County dept. of natural resources	$2,500	EQIP, CREP	# ft of buffers	100
Monitoring Activities for Task 1/2/3
Monitor sediment load before and after implementation	State DEP	$5,000/ Yr	Section 319 funding, state funds	Annual TSS load (kg/yr)	2,500	2,250	2,000
Evaluate substrate habitat	State DEP & Watershed Committee	$3,000/ Yr	Section 319 funding, local volunteers	% embeddedness % sand	12 10	6 5	3 2

Design an Implementation Program - Develop an Implementation Schedule

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