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. ROCKY MOUNTAIN CENTER ON E~V\RON~ENT 4260 East Evans Avenue Denver, Colorado 80222 303/757-5439 . ~;ay 3, \97 i- ,~I,. ,<0 '; STATE AND MULTISTATE WATER RESOURCE ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING , Obiectives of environmental planninq: Basic: indentify interrela- tionships, processes and ~ynamics in man's environment and his activities. The development of ob.iectives, and their refinement as the planning process progresses, is essential to ensure that the rIght informa- tion is acquired and evaluated. Without objectives, the planning Is without guidance and is liable to be full of gaps and voids. FOI lowing are objectives for environmental planning of water resources. A. Acquisition of data to enable the development of an Environmental Plan for water resource use, as one of several alternative plans. .hls plan will maximize ecological stability, environmental qual ity, and the economics of the environmental plan. I. Ecological Stability (The avoidance of undesirable changes to ecosystems). (a) Water resource use wh i ch will not foster any deve I opment or use which exceeds the carrying capacity of major and minor ecosystems. (b) Reduction of present stresses and prevention of future stresses from thermal alterations, chemicals (including acidity, dissolved mi~erals, nitrates, industrial wastes, herbicides and pesticides, and other chemicals which increase COD or are toxic to biota), topsoil loss and sedimentation, organic pathogens, b~ologlcal oxygen demand, and improper nutrient balances. Identi- fication of long range trends, to maximum extent, so that adverse alterations can be identified and minimized or avoi ded. (cl Safe and healthy human living conditions. (d) Avoidance of secondary and tertiary effects of basic impacts on ecosystems; planning should identify these effects and the means of control I i ng or avoi di ng them. (e) Protection of healthy biological resources which are dependent upon water and water-related physiography: vegetation and wildlife habitat and food chains, arable land, and biologically productive land. Phreatophytes and evapotranspiratiun must be considered in ecological terms. A biological flow range (minimum and maximum) should be identified.