KWRRI Research Reports

Abstract

With the goal of providing a structured foundational background for watershed management to Kentucky’s watershed coordinators and other water quality professionals, the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute developed the Kentucky Watershed Academy, a six-module series of core training content. The modules address the following subject areas:

• Module 1: The Clean Water Act & Related Water Quality Laws

• Module 2: Water Quality Basics

• Module 3: Dealing with Data

• Module 4: Land Use Impacts & Related Best Management Practices

• Module 5: Likely Partners

• Module 6: Effective Communications

As a result of this project, a total of 70 presentations with 44 hours of content were developed, including 11 activities and 24 presentations provided by external partners. Workshops were piloted through in person and virtual weekly webinars, from 2018 to 2020, with feedback being used to refine materials. A total of 41 PowerPoint presentations with speaker notes and 24 PDFs of presentations developed by external partners were made available for public access via the KWRRI website, www.research.uky.edu/kentucky-water-resources-research-institute/kentucky-watershed-academy, as well as 10 supplementary resources. A total of 61 recorded videos of presentations were also made available through YouTube. In addition to the six training modules, the Kentucky Watershed Forum was held to expand and enhance the network of assistance available to coordinators by offering the opportunity to interact with and learn from the numerous water quality professionals in various sectors from throughout the state. The Kentucky Watershed Forum was held October 26, 2018, at the Fayette County Extension Office with 69 participants in attendance from 40 different organizations. The agenda for the full day forum was divided into 5 sessions: 1) welcome and keynote addresses, 2) river basin reports, 3) information exchange, 4) water issue panel, and 5) roundtable sessions and reports. As a result of the forum, summary reports of the status of each of Kentucky’s major river basins were developed as well as summaries of tips and follow up items for each of the roundtable discussions. In support of the forum, two major resources were generated. The Kentucky Watershed Organization Directory lists key information from 44 organizations, including mission statement, focus, contacts, major water-related goals and priorities, and other data. The Water Organizations of Kentucky poster provides a snapshot of state land use maps for key water-related characteristics and provides contact information for numerous organizations. Together, the training and networking opportunities advanced the professional capacity of the watershed coordination and management community in Kentucky

Publication Date

2024

Notes/Citation Information

This final report was prepared by:

• Steven Evans, Assistant Director, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.

• Malissa McAlister, Kentucky River Basin Coordinator, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

Funding Information

Funding for this project was provided in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) through the Kentucky Division of Water, Nonpoint Source Section, to KWRRI as authorized by the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987, §319(h) Nonpoint Source Implementation Grant #PPG BG-00D21416-0.

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