Linking the Water Resources Element with the County Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan​

The most recent county Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan (LPPRP) should be a source of current land preservation and open space information, policies and programs. In some counties, the LPPRP may already include an assessment of the status and vulnerability of water resources as part of the natural resource element of the comprehensive plan. The WRE should evaluate LPPRP programs and make recommendations for how they can better serve water supply and water quality protection requirements. Some examples are:

• The amount of development allowed in rural and agricultural zones can be used to estimate the potential for additional population requiring potable water and the nature, intensity and impacts future development in those areas will have on both surface and ground water resources. The WRE should evaluate rural zoning and make recommendations for changes needed to better protect water resources.
• ​The WRE should identify opportunities to make water resource protection a stronger criterion in decisions concerning the acquisition and protection of park, agricultural and resource lands.
• The WRE should review policies and programs related to management practices on public lands or easement lands to ensure the best possible management practices for protection of water resources are required and implemented.