The Steering Committee (SC) will inform and serve as an advocate for both process and the plan. They will provide high-level policy direction and fatal flaw reviews and are the ultimate adopters of the Plan. Last but not least, the SC will also help with the outreach process by encouraging community members to get involved. This group will consist of the Valley County commissioners and city council representatives.

The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) is made up of the many agency partners that are involved in the day-to-day management of the reservoir and lakes, and have a role in management or oversight of the properties. They will provide technical input to the development of the plan, bringing together agency best management practices and a holistic view of the waterways management. This group will have overlap with the Valley County Soil and Water Conservation District Working Groups efforts.

The groups are generally grouped in three primary interests – recreation, land/homeowner, and natural resources. They will consist of recreational individual users and groups, marina owners, adjacent landowners, Chamber of Commerce, resource interest groups, etc. Meetings will occur as needed and may further be refined by waterway for discussions on specific waterways.

The Waterways Advisory Committee as appointed by the Valley County Board of Commissioners.   The Idaho Safe Boating Act, Idaho Code Section 67-7012.

Basin advisory groups (BAGs) are comprised of citizens, appointed by DEQ’s director, that advise on water quality objectives within Idaho’s six basins. By statute, membership must be representative of the industries and interests directly affected by implementing water quality programs within the basin and members have a demonstrated interest or expertise that will benefit the work of the group.

Watershed advisory groups (WAGs) are comprised of interested citizens who provide local public input and guidance to DEQ during the development of water quality improvement plans or total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for water bodies that fail to meet water quality standards. TMDLs are designed to reduce the levels of pollutants, such as bacteria and sediment, in impaired water bodies. There are no active TDML or 5-year updates currently being written in Valley County. The Implementation Plans developed for the Cascade Reservoir/North Fork Payette are currently being carried out by SWCD and others. SWCD’s Working Groups could play a key role in implementing the TMDLs and DEQ will participate in those efforts.