Watershed Management Approach – Introduction

MSD employs an aggressive approach to investigate, evaluate and develop solutions to the wet weather and water quality issues facing Jefferson County, Kentucky. The sources of water quality impairment are multi-faceted. MSD’s approach is that of watershed management, in which all sources of impairment are evaluated simultaneously to determine real solutions to real problems and to obtain the ultimate goal – stream water quality enhancement.

The decision to develop a water quality-based program on the watershed level has presented both challenges and opportunities within and outside of MSD. This program exemplifies the EPA Watershed Approach. Management, staff, and regulators have diligently worked to overcome the obstacles and aggressively pursued a better way to manage the programs. This process will lead to the creation of a comprehensive, water quality-based wet weather program that is more effective than the sum of the parts. There are still many challenges to overcome before complete success can be declared. Preliminary indications are that the program has solidly moved in the proper direction and that the potential benefits to the customers and citizens of the community are far superior to those previously believed to be possible with similar resources.

The next few years are critical as these initiatives are implemented and the evolution of the program continues. This is intensified as the economy continues to be a concern and budgetary considerations must be factored into the proposed efforts. While these programs are regulatory-based and are not generally tied to the economy, they are not totally immune to future budgetary actions. Therefore, it becomes even more important to enhance the program and to develop the most efficient and effective means possible to accomplish the needed and wanted environmental improvements within the Louisville Metro area.

Explore the links below to learn more about the development of MSD's Watershed Management Approach:

Prior to 1988			1998–2002
	Pretreatment Program Hazardous Materials Ordinance Initial CSO Efforts Initial SSO Efforts MS4 Program			Pretreatment Program CSO Efforts SSO Efforts MS4 Program Programmatic Reorganization
1988-1997			2002–2003
	Pretreatment Program CSO Efforts SSO Efforts MS4 Program Programmatic Reorganization			Holistic Watershed Approach