Watershed Planning
Contents
- Introduction
- Washington State Department of Ecology Watershed Planning Information
- Washington State Documents
- Washington State Statutes, Administrative Codes
- Local Watershed Planning Documents
- County and Regional Watershed Planning Websites
- Reference Sources
- Links to Other Related Websites
- Related MRSC Pages
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 the Comprehensive Watershed Planning Act in 1998 (ESHB 2514) Ch. 90.82 RCW, 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 Washington State Department of Ecology has a grant program to encourage watershed planning under the act. The watershed plans must include a water quantity assessment element and may include water quality, instream flows, and habitat elements.
The focus of the watershed planning program is now on implementation. As of October 2010, 28 watershed plans had been adopted, covering all or parts of 35 of the state’s 62 water resource inventory areas (WRIAs). For further information, the Washington State Department of Ecology has an excellent Webpage 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, Planning Consultant at ctobin@mrsc.org or call (206) 625-1300.
Washington State Department of Ecology Watershed Planning Information
These pages are the best starting point for information on watershed planning.
- Department of Ecology Watershed Planning Home Page - Comprehensive resource including grant information
- Memorandum of Understanding for the Coordinated Implementation of Watershed Planning (ESHB 2514 & ESHB 2496)
- Reports to the Legislature on Watershed Planning (earlier reports available on Ecology Watershed Planning page)
- 2009 Report to the Legislature: Watershed Plan Implementation Statutory Changes, Progress Report on Setting Instream Flows, and Reclaimed Water in Adopted Plans (
), 01/2010
- 2009 Report to the Legislature: Watershed Plan Implementation Statutory Changes, Progress Report on Setting Instream Flows, and Reclaimed Water in Adopted Plans (
- Watershed Assessments, Plans, and Water Rights Decisions
- Watershed Planning Updates by WRIA (Water Resource Inventory Areas)
- Watershed Updates by WRIA - Links to online resources on watersheds.
Washington State Documents
Note: Department of Ecology documents are listed above.
- Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, Governor's Salmon Recovery Office documents
- Roadmap for Salmon Habitat Conservation at the Watershed Level (), 2002
- State of Salmon In Watersheds ( 56.1 MB), 2008 report
- Roadmap for Salmon Habitat Conservation at the Watershed Level (
- Watershed Planning, Growth Management Services Factsheet, Washington Department of Commerce (formerly Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development)
- Restoring the Watershed: Citizen's Guide to Riparian Restoration in Western Washington (), Department of Fish & Wildlife, 1995.
Washington State Statutes, Administrative Codes
- Ch. 90.82 RCW - Watershed Planning - This is the primary enabling legislation regarding watershed planning.
- Water Resources Rules, Laws, and Case Law - Links to the Department of Ecology
- Ch. 79A.15 RCW - Acquisition of Habitat Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Lands
- RCW 79A.15.040 - Habitat conservation account--Distribution and use of moneys
RCW 79A.15.060 - Habitat conservation account--Acquisition policies and priorities
RCW 79A.15.070 - Acquisition and development priorities-- Generally.
Washington Administrative Code
- Links to Existing Water Resources Rules (WACs) - Department of Ecology
- Ch. 173-500 WAC - Water Resources Management Program Established Pursuant to the Water Resources Act of 1971
- WAC 173-500-040 - Water Resource Inventory Areas
Other Related Statutes and Rules
- Ch. 70.116 RCW - Public Water System Coordination Act of 1977
- Ch. 246-293 WAC - Public Water System Coordination Act.
Local Watershed Planning Documents
Intergovernmental Agreements
- Bi-State Watershed Memorandum of Agreement (), Walla Walla, 2000
- Spokane County, Memorandum of Agreement: Local Watershed Planning for WRIA 54 - The Lower Spokane River ()
- Whatcom County, Memorandum of Agreement between Lummi Nation, Whatcom County, City of Bellingham, and Whatcom County Public Utility District No. 1 (WRIA 1)
Watershed Management and Detailed Implementation Plans
- Chehalis Basin Partnership, Grays Harbor County - Includes watershed plan and detailed implementation plan
- Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Plan, WRIA 18 and Sequim Bay in West WRIA 17, Clallam County
- Entiat Watershed Planning (WRIA 46), Cascadia Conservation District and Entiat Watershed Plan and Appendices, 2004 and Detailed Implementation Plan, 02/2006
- Klickitat River Basin (WRIA 30) Detailed Implementation Plan (
), 05/2008
- Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, Watershed Management Plans (Documents from Grays-Elochoman, Cowlitz, Salmon-Washougal, and Lewis river basins, WRIAs 25 - 28) Includes detailed implementation plans
- Methow Basin (WRIA 48) Watershed Plan, Okanogan County, 06/20/2005
- Moses Coulee and Foster Creek Watersheds (WRIA 44 and 50) Watershed Management Plan, Douglas County Watershed Planning Association, 09/23/2004
- Pierce County Watershed Action Plans (Some of these plans were not developed under Ch. 90.82 RCW)
- Quilcene-Snow Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA 17) Watershed Management Plan (), 10/28/2003
- Rock-Glade Watershed Management Plan () (WRIA 31), Klickitat County, 01/2008
- San Juan County Watershed Management Action Plan, 06/21/2000
- Spokane Basin Watershed Planning (Little and Middle Spokane River Basins, WRIAs 55 and 57), Spokane County
- Spokane Basin Adopted Watershed Plan, 01/31/2006
- Detailed Implementation Plan (), Spokane County, 02/20/2008
- Walla Walla Watershed Management Partnership, Watershed Plan (WRIA 32) - Includes watershed management plan and detailed implementation plan
- Wenatchee Watershed Plan (WRIA 45), Chelan County, 04/26/2006
County and Regional Watershed Planning Websites
A complete list of watershed planning sites by water resource inventory area is available at the Department of Ecology Watershed Planning Updates by WRIA.
- Clallam County Watershed Planning
- Chelan County Watershed Planning: Wenatchee
- Grays Harbor County Chehalis Basin Partnership
- Island County Watershed Planning - WRIA 06
- Jefferson County Watershed Planning and Management
- Klickitat County Watershed Planning
- Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board (WRIA 25-28, Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties)
- Okanogan County Watershed Planning
- Spokane County Watershed Planning
- Stevens County WRIA 59
- Thurston County Watershed Resource Inventory Areas
- Walla Walla Watershed Management Partnership (Walla Walla and Columbia counties)
- Whatcom County Watershed Planning
Reference Sources
- 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.]
Links to Other Related Websites
- Center for Watershed Protection - Technical resource for local and state governments on stormwater and watershed protection programs; includes model ordinances
- Know Your Watershed - National initiative to encourage formation of local, voluntary watershed partnerships, includes National Watershed Library and Network
- StreamNet – Fish data for the Northwest - Project of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Watersheds - Includes information on EPA's watershed policy, projects, funding, special topics, publications, and more
- Surf Your Watershed - Searchable database of citizen-based watershed groups.
- Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection- Searchable database of financial assistance sources (grants, loans, cost-sharing) available to fund a variety of watershed protection projects
- Technical Tools for Watershed Management - Useful catalog of tools includes data systems, databases, mapping, and water quality models
- U.S. Geological Survey Washington Water Science Center - Includes links to all kinds of water resource information