Watershed Planning
Contents
- Introduction
- News Notes
- Reference Sources
- Documents
- County Watershed Planning Web Sites
- Links to Other Related Web Sites
Introduction
Water is one of Washington State's most valuable natural resources. However, our water resources are threatened by pollution and dwindling supplies associated with population growth. With the passage of ESHB 2514 in 1998, Chapter 90.82 RCW, the Comprehensive Watershed Planning Act, the state established a framework for developing local solutions to water issues on a watershed basis. The comprehensive watershed planning process is based on watersheds known as Water Resources Inventory Areas (WRIAs). This process is optional and allows local governments to collaborate and join with citizens and tribes to form watershed management planning units to develop watershed management plans.
The 1998 Comprehensive Watershed Planning Act was enacted to provide "a more thorough and cooperative" process for assessing the status of water resources in each of 62 WRIAs. The Act also was intended to enable local development of watershed plans for managing water resources and protecting existing water rights. The plans must include a water quantity assessment element and may include water quality, instream flows, and habitat elements. Participation in local watershed planning is voluntary, and the state has a grant program to encourage watershed planning under the Act. To initiate watershed planning under this Act, the concurrence of all counties within a WRIA, of the largest city within a WRIA, and of the largest water supply utility within the WRIA is required. Indian tribes with reservation lands within the WRIA must also be invited to participate in the watershed planning effort. For further information, the Washington State Department of Ecology has an excellent Web page on watershed planning.
If you have information to share or are aware of other Web sites that we should link to, please contact Carol Tobin, Public Policy Consultant at ctobin@mrsc.org or call (206) 625-1300.
News Notes
- Watershed Plan Implementation Project Grant Request Packet and Funding Resources Guide, Washington State Department of Ecology - For grant applications through December 2008 for projects starting June 30, 2009
Reference Sources
- Washington Statutes/Administrative Code
- MRSC Inquiries
- Selected MRSC Library Holdings - Watershed Planning. [Note: Clicking on this link will take you to a list of documents available on loan through the MRSC library.]
Documents
- Background on Watershed Planning Act - Washington State Department of Ecology
- Reports to the Legislature on Watershed Planning, Washington State Department of Ecology
- An Assessment of Watershed Planning: Report to the Legislature, March 2003
- 2004 Report to the Legislature: Watershed Planning and Instream Flow Setting Progress, Dec. 2004
- 2005 Report to the Legislature: Progress on Watershed Planning and Setting Instream Flows, (
) Dec. 2005
- 2006 Report to the Legislature: Progress on Watershed Planning and Setting Instream Flows () Dec. 2006
- Progress on Watershed Planning and Setting Instream Flows: 2007 Report to the Legislature () June 2008
- Guide to Watershed Planning & Management - Department of Ecology manual prepared to assist local planning units with meeting the objectives of the Watershed Management Act. Final Draft, 1999 (Adobe Acrobat format) Addendum #1, Jan. 2002
- Governor's Salmon Recovery Office
- Watershed Conservation Plan Guidelines, Discussion Paper, July 2000
- Guidance on Watershed Assessment for Salmon, Joint Natural Resources Cabinet, May 2001
- Reference Guide to Salmon Recovery
- Roadmap for Salmon Habitat Conservation at the Watershed Level
- Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection - 2nd ed., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1999
- Intergovernmental Agreements
- Restoring the Watershed: Citizen's Guide to Riparian Restoration in Western Washington, (376kb) Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Selected Local Watershed Planning Documents
- Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) Activities by County - MRSC
- Watershed Assessments, Plans, and Water Rights Decisions - Department of Ecology Information
- Watershed Planning Grant Information, Department of Ecology
- Watershed Planning Updates by Watershed (WRIA), Department of Ecology
- Watershed Glossary - Provided by Know Your Watershed.
County Watershed Planning Web Sites
- Clallam County Watershed Planning
- Wenatchee Watershed Planning, Chelan County
- Jefferson County Watershed Planning
- Okanogan County, Watershed Planning
- WRIA 59, Stevens County
- Watershed Planning in Thurston County
- Whatcom County Watershed Planning
- Yakima Basin Water Resource Agency.
Links to Other Related Web Sites
- Department of Ecology Watershed Planning Home Page - Excellent page on watershed planning, includes information by WRIA and Watershed Management Planning Grants
- Department of Ecology Watershed Conditions - Links to online resources on watersheds by WRIA
- Center for Watershed Protection - Technical resource for local and state governments on stormwater and watershed protection programs; includes model ordinances
- Watershed Planning - Growth Management Services Factsheet, Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development
- Know Your Watershed - National initiative to encourage formation of local, voluntary watershed partnerships, includes National Watershed Library and Network
- River Network - Information on grants, publications and other resources
- Salmon Nation Watershed Support - Maintains a Web site and electronic newsletter that provide information on watershed activities in California, Oregon and Washington. Includes upcoming training events and funding opportunities.
- StreamNet – Fish data for the Northwest - Project of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.
- Technical Tools for Watershed Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Useful catalog of tools includes data systems, databases, mapping, and water quality models
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water, Watersheds - Includes information on EPA's watershed policy, projects, funding, special topics, publications, and more.
- See EPA's Surf Your Watershed and Watershed Information Network
- EPA's Funding Reference Directory for Watershed Protection - The Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection is a searchable database of financial assistance sources (grants, loans, cost-sharing) available to fund a variety of watershed protection projects.
- US Geological Survey Washington Water Science Center – Includes links to all kinds of water resource information.