Douglas County Comprehensive Water Plan
Water Plan Update 2003
Thursday evening the 9th of January several of your lake board members attended the
informational meeting of the Douglas County Comprehensive Water Plan. The Douglas County
Board adopted this water plan on March 20, 1990. It is a guiding document to identify and
address water-related problems and opportunities.
The Douglas County Comprehensive Local Water Plan Task Force periodically updates the plan. As you might have guessed the task force is
currently in the process of updating the water plan and has ask for input from the community.
This is our opportunity to make a contribution to the future direction and scope of the water plan.
Some interesting points presented were:
1. The surface area of Douglas County is 20% water.
2. The Douglas County Comprehensive Water Plan is advisory and has no regulatory or
enforcement powers of its own.
3. The county lacks the resources to aggressively enforce the existing codes, rules and
regulations designed to protect our water quality from degradation.
4. Given the inability to enforce compliance, the county depends in large part on public
education and voluntary compliance.
5. Explosive growth and development in the county poses the greatest threat to our
lakes, streams, and rivers.
6. Token fines and penalties for violating codes, rules, and regulations are not a
deterrent but simply considered a small cost of doing business.
7. The cost of total restoration and or mandatory jail time may provide a greater
incentive to follow the codes, rules and regulations and do no harm in the first place.
However, this would require consistent and aggressive enforcement to be effective.
Your lake association board will be participating in the update process as it unfolds over the next
several months. We encourage interested property owners to also attend future public hearings
on this important subject. Look for developments in future newsletters.
Jim Scott, President