Technical Advisory Committees

TACs have a goal of transparently sharing information with the larger Water Quality Roadmap workgroup in order to effectively communicate progress and address any issues in a timely manner. TAC progress and materials will be shared routinely at the quarterly roadmap meetings and will be posted on the division’s Water Quality Roadmap website under the appropriate project track (e.g., arsenic). TAC members are also expected to communicate with the groups they represent regarding TAC activities and progress. If stakeholders are not directly represented at the TAC, the division will work to communicate with these groups. The types of materials generated by the TAC will generally include:

• TAC fact sheet (i.e., goals, membership, schedule, communication plan).
• Quarterly workgroup report-out materials (i.e., presentations).
• Topic tracker spreadsheet.
• TAC work products (e.g., databases of toxicological information, white papers).

TACs also have a goal of listening to and considering input from the larger Water Quality Roadmap workgroup. This will be accomplished through asking for feedback at the larger quarterly meetings. There will also be a form available online for anyone to pose questions that they think are relevant to the work of the TACs.

TAC membership will be structured to represent a wide variety of perspectives while maintaining an appropriate working size of up to 8-10 people. The content covered in the TAC is technical in nature, and the membership should reflect technical expertise. TACs have not historically included attorneys or higher level management. TAC members are expected to commit to being active participants that contribute to the TAC’s efforts; activities may include attending TAC meetings, contributing ideas, critically reviewing concepts, developing white papers, and reviewing documents. The following is an example of a typical TAC membership:

• Water Quality Control Division.
• Environmental Protection Agency.
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
• Academia.
• Industry technical representatives (e.g., water/wastewater utility associations,
  environmental/engineering consultants.
• Non-governmental organizations (e.g., Trout Unlimited, Mountain Studies Institute).
• West slope representatives and representatives from across the state.
• Other relevant technical experts (e.g., USGS, environmental/engineering consultants).

Individuals that possess technical expertise in a particular area can express interest in participating in a TAC by filling out this form. While it will not be possible for all interested individuals to be TAC participants, anyone expressing interest will be updated on TAC progress.

If a sector or stakeholder group is interested in a given topic but can not offer a technical expert to participate in the TAC, they are encouraged to participate in the larger Water Quality Roadmap workgroup, review materials posted to the web, and provide feedback to members of either the TAC or the Water Quality Roadmap workgroup as resources allow.

At the start of a TAC process, the TAC will define set goals and tasks that will be accomplished in the upcoming TAC meetings. These goals and tasks will be communicated with the larger Water Quality Roadmap workgroup at the next scheduled quarterly roadmap meeting and any interested person may provide input on the TAC’s goals or tasks. If goals or tasks change throughout the TAC process, these changes will also be communicated with the Water Quality Roadmap workgroup.