Timeline considerations provided here are based upon stakeholder efforts generated for this Version 1 of the Watershed Management Plan (WMP), submitted to the MDEQ in October 2002. Further refinements to these and other WMP elements, which will reflect ongoing and recently initiated activities, are expected to continue through May 2003, the end of this current planning grant. At that time an updated Version 2 of the WMP will be re-posted on this website.

During the preparation and prioritization of actions for specific stream segments, participants in all subwatershed groups and the Steering Committee evaluated each activity to determine a subjective, potential time of implementation. The results of these deliberations are found in the BMP Tables, within Tasks 7 & 8, under the column headings of Priority and Sequence. Priority rankings of low, medium and high were used as a measure of the importance of an element in terms of the need for it to implemented. Further prioritization efforts resulted in the color-coded rows illustrated in the referenced BMP tables. Low priorities are expected to come later in the overall implementation process unless they can be "tag-along" elements of projects with greater need. High priority projects are viewed as those with the greatest need and benefits, deserving more rapid consideration. Sequence refers to the implementation timeline of short- and long-term, defined as 0-3 years and 4-15 years respectively. No other specific time designations are provided in Version 1.

Other elements shown in the BMP tables were also important to deliberations on the timeline for implementation, including Method Category, Property Ownership, Responsible Parties and Funding Sources. Participants were made aware of ongoing projects and activities as well as known actions envisioned or scheduled for the short-term. Given the status of local funds (public and private) and the projected 2003 freeze on most state and many federal implementation funds, many of the timelines projected are likely to be aggressive in nature. Portions of some proposed actions, such as education components, will move ahead as part of USEPA Phase II stormwater requirements for municipalities and institutions. Other projects, such as in the Axtell Creek area, may well be stimulated by voluntary efforts, small local grant sources and, in some cases, private sector needs. Many of the projected actions in the BMP tables were aspirations based on the premise of available grant funds. Efforts will continue into 2003 and 2004 to solicit project-specific funding wherever possible. It is conceivable that actions related to the TMDL for phosphorus for the Kalamazoo River Watershed could play an assisting role in implementing these local projects.