Overall, the proposal could…

Overall, the proposal could bring some real benefits: consolidating 36 CAs into 7 could reduce duplicated administration and speed up decisions while keeping a watershed-based approach. If done well, that might free up staff and budget for core work like flood forecasting, source water protection, monitoring, and restoration rather than internal bureaucracy.

But the main risk is that bigger may result in less local. Several CAs and municipalities are already flagging concerns about how local watershed needs, long-standing partnerships, and municipal voices will be represented in very large regional authorities that may cover dozens of municipalities and huge geographic areas.