What is the Devils River Watershed Project?
The Devils River Watershed Project aims to leverage stakeholders’ collective wisdom and scientific research to create a living “State of the Devils River Watershed” report to support the ongoing stewardship of the watershed. The comprehensive report aims to be a resource for the region that aligns with the stakeholders’ diverse needs and perspectives, reflecting a broad spectrum of goals that honors the watershed’s complexity and the various viewpoints within it.
This process will create opportunities for the watershed’s stakeholders to identify areas of shared priorities for the river and related resources and to articulate a shared vision for the future of this region.
Who is funding this project?
The project was initiated following the acquisition of a WaterSMART planning grant in 2021 by the Devils River Conservancy (DRC), in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), to support a collective planning process for stakeholders in the watershed.
Recognizing the need for impartial leadership to bring all voices to the table, the DRC, TPWD, and TNC contracted with The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, a research center at Texas State University, to serve as a facilitator to guide the project to completion. As a neutral third party, the Meadows Center ensures a fair and transparent process where every stakeholder has an equal voice.
View examples of successful WaterSMART applications →
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The Cooperative Watershed funding from the Bureau of Reclamation provides funding to encourage diverse stakeholders to form local solutions to address their water management needs. It provides capacity funding to support watershed group development, watershed restoration planning, and watershed management project design. There are no required formats/outcomes associated with the funding (other than engaging the local community and trying to identify shared values and goals), and our State of the Devils River Report will be customized to address the needs and interests of the local community. Here are a few watershed efforts who received funding through the program and designed reports, studies, or plans that met their local needs:
Boise River Vision: a healthy Boise River that enriches the Valley’s quality of life
Bear River Mission: provide a structure within which all stakeholders are able to reach consensus on the issues facing the watershed in order to create and implement a collaborative, science-based restoration plan.
Bear River Watershed Restoration Plan
Awakening the Bear (River) Website
Lower John Day Working Group Mission: restore and maintain the Lower John Day for the ecological, economic, social, and cultural well-being of local communities
Lower John Day Basin State of the Basin Report
Upper Deschutes Study Purpose: assess water supply and demand and identify potential strategies to address projected imbalances; provide a technical assessment and not provide recommendations or represent a statement of policy or position.
Upper Deschutes River Basin Study
Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership Mission: facilitate stakeholder driven watershed planning that promotes environmental stewardship and sustainable economic development through community action and educational outreach.
Who is involved, and what are they doing?
The project consists of an open-invitation stakeholder group and four technical teams. The first stakeholder meeting was held in February 2023. Following the kick-off meeting, the project is hosting a series of socials between July and December 2023 designed to help stakeholders understand different perspectives on the watershed.
The technical teams, comprised of volunteer experts and stakeholders, are tasked with conducting a watershed inventory to capture all available information on groundwater resources, species and their flow needs, sustainable recreation, and water quality. Each team is guided by designated team leads to help coordinate this work. The initial “State of the Devils River Watershed” draft report will serve as a compilation of these findings, incorporating stakeholder narratives, scientific research, and potentially conflicting perspectives.
Technical Team Leads
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Groundwater Science:
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Species & Flows:
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Water Quality:
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Sustainable Recreation:
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To ensure a well-rounded and representative report, a stakeholder jury will be established to review the report draft, suggest updates, and review the document’s final draft. All feedback, whether from jury or non-jury stakeholders, will be incorporated.
What is the focus area of this project?
Though the Lower Devils River watershed is located entirely within Val Verde County, the focus of this project also includes the contributing watersheds that provide significant flows to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
