WATERSHED – Environmental Protection Office

WATERSHED

To manage complex ditch, structure and pump systems that provide primary drainage as well as moving water through Reservation lands to support Agricultural and Environmental needs.

Mission

The Water Resources Department’s Watershed Program Section ensures the sustainable management and conservation of water and land resources for the benefit of Tribal reservations. Through a community-led, environmentally sound approach, the program aims to address water scarcity, soil erosion, and other challenges by conducting baseline assessments, implementing conservation measures, and fostering community capacity building to protect and enhance the watershed’s ecological health and promote the well-being or its inhabitants and the growing infrastructure.

Program Tasks

To assess all ongoing infrastructure and development projects across all reservations to ensure that drainage systems are designed and implemented effectively, minimizing flood risk and preventing adverse environmental impacts.
To create and maintain comprehensive base plans for every project—large or small—across all reservations, ensuring a historical record of land-use modifications and supporting informed future planning decisions. Monthly presentations to the cattle operations and keep them abreast of projects that adjacent to their ranches/pastures.
To ensure timely and accurate mapping support for all projects by coordinating between the on-site GIS specialist and the Environmental Protection Office (EPO) GIS department.
To plan for the future expansion of our program in order to better assist Tribal governments and communities in addressing environmental protection, resource management, and sustainable development needs.

Key Projects

To design and implement a comprehensive master plan aimed at improving the ditch and drainage network on all reservations- beginning with the Big Cypress and Brighton Reservations, ensuring long-term efficiency, flood control, and environmental sustainability. These master plans will continue in the future as we assist and monitor all reservations.
To launch the Irrigation/Drainage Surface water Master Plan and ensure ongoing monitoring to evaluate its effectiveness and protect environmental integrity throughout its implementation.
To perform continuous reviews of projects within the Tribe to provide technical guidance, ensure regulatory compliance, and strengthen overall planning and development efforts.

Contacts