Evolution of a Watershed-Management Framework in the Kentucky River Basin

Abstract

Following an increased emphasis on watershed management by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 1990s, the Kentucky Division of Water (KDOW) developed and implemented a watershed-management framework process for the state of Kentucky in 1997. The Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute (KWWRI) coordinated the first implementation of the framework process in the Kentucky River basin beginning in 2000. After an evaluation of the program that followed the completion of the first five-year cycle of the framework, the KWRRI made significant changes to the framework so as to incorporate greater stakeholder involvement and to place a greater focus on the development and implementation of watershed plans at a local level. This paper provides a summary of the watershed activities in the Kentucky River basin over the past 15 years and evaluates the lessons learned during that process. It is hoped that these observations will be useful to other agencies and organizations that are engaged in watershed-management activities, either at the state or local level.