Dungeness Instream Flow and Water Management Rule

• Two major river drainages, the Dungeness and Elwha.
• A number of smaller watersheds draining independently to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The upper ends of several of the drainages are located within the boundaries of the Olympic National Park, which covers much of the interior of the northern portion of the Olympic Peninsula.

Rainfall varies from 240 inches/year of precipitation in the headwater mountains of the Elwha, to only 15 inches/year in the low elevations of the Dungeness.

Threatened and Endangered Fish

The Dungeness River Chinook, Hood Canal and East Juan de Fuca Straits summer chum, steelhead, and bull trout are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA):

• Federal Salmon recovery planning - Actions from the Puget Sound Chinook Recovery Plan are ongoing. The Dungeness River Management Team took part in developing the watershed’s chapter in the draft Puget Sound Chinook Recovery Plan and members of the Elwha Morse Management Team helped in planning for that area.
• Local salmon recovery planning - The Dungeness River Management Team continues to take part in the North Olympic Lead Entity’s reviewing and prioritizing funding requests submitted to the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.

Washington State Conservation Commission, Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Limiting Factors Report - WRIA 18 Salmon and Steelhead Stock Designations and Associated Status

SalmonScape, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) new, interactive, computer mapping system, is one of the most important tools created thus far to deliver scientific information to those involved in on-the-ground salmon recovery projects.

The Watershed Plan

The final Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Plan was developed and approved under the Watershed Planning Act, Ch.90.82 RCW.

An extended Clallam County review included several meetings with stakeholders, public meetings, and hearings. Members of the planning teams reviewed public comment and amended plan recommendations where consensus could be reached. The Clallam County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the plan on June 7, 2005.

Some Plan recommendations related to rule development:

• Adopt by rule the recommended instream flow levels for streams and tributaries.
• Protect and continue to restore flows in the Dungeness mainstem.
• Negotiate measures to provide future drinking water while protecting late summer and fall stream flows.
• Develop aquifer and off-channel storage and conservation as sources of new water supplies and as a means to minimize effects on late season stream flows.
• Emphasize the need for new development to use existing public water systems wherever possible.

Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Planning Website

Outreach and Communication

The challenge in the Dungeness watershed is for the citizens to decide how they can best use and share their water supply - so there is enough for everyone and everything that depends on it.  Working together to resolve competing needs is critical.  Whether we know it or not, we are all – each and every one of us – water managers.

Meetings

The Dungeness River Management Team (DRMT) is a partnership of individuals, stakeholders and governments in the Dungeness watershed. They have worked together for years to develop and implement locally based, long-term solutions to watershed management issues.

The Dungeness Water Working Group and the Dungeness Water Executive Committee have been discussing water management options, to prepare for filing the Dungeness Instream Flow and Water Management Rule.

• Dungeness Water Working Group Meeting Archive

Community Forums—Managing Water in the Dungeness Watershed

Ecology has hosted public workshops in November 2007, March 2008, and February 18, 2009. The purpose of these workshops was to discuss local water management issues and options with the citizens in the Dungeness watershed.

The three presentations for the February 18, 2009 workshop on the developing Dungeness instream flow and water management rule are now available:

• Watershed planning in the Dungeness  Cynthia Nelson, Ecology
• Rule concepts – how water can be provided for growth while protecting existing water rights and stream flows  Sarah Ferguson, Ecology
• Groundwater presentation  Dave Nazy, Ecology

Information from the other forums:

• Elements of an Instream Flow and Water Management Rule - Presentation
• Water for People, Farms and Fish - A community forum: Managing Water in Your Watershed - Forum handout with frequently asked questions
• How Will the Water Management Rule Affect New and Existing Homes in the Dungeness Basin? - Poster series
• March 14, 2008 News Release - Water supply issues in Dungeness River Basin subject of forum
• Poster Series - Posters that were used in the 11/29/07 workshop
• November 16, 2007 News Release - Water supply issues in Dungeness River Basin subject of forum
• Sequim-Dungeness Hydrogeology - Dave Nazy 3/28/07

News Articles

The Sequim Gazette has published a series of articles to inform the public on the complex water management issues in their watershed.

• Water exchange may provide year-round supply - Facing some tough challenges 2/12/09
• Water Resource Management: It's a big picture with a lot of players - Proposed Dungeness instream flow rule just one piece of the puzzle 10/29/08
• Using water wisely for farming - Irrigators help stretch water supply 7/30/08
• Maintaining the water we can't see - The importance of groundwater in the Dungeness watershed 6/11/08
• Who is planning for our water? - Your participation is encouraged 5/7/08
• Protecting the water for fish - Setting stream flow levels is tool for healthy systems 3/19/08
• Whose water is it? - A crash course in Washington water law 2/20/08
• Go online to track stream flow levels - Stream gauges monitor flow and help guide water resource decisions 1/2/08
• How’s the water supply in the Dungeness watershed? - A crash course on precipitation patterns and water use 11/21/07

Other Resources

• Ecology River and Stream Flow Monitoring Network
• Quilcene-Snow Watershed Planning WRIA 17
• Dungeness River Management Team
• Chapter 90.42 RCW - Water Resources Management (Trust Water Rights Program)
• Well Log Search and View (Ecology)
• Clallam County Water Related Information (Puget Sound Action Team)
• Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Homepage
• Statewide Water Acquisition Strategy
• Environmental Information Management (Ecology)
• What a watershed is and why the health of watersheds is important
• Learn the basics about instream flows, rules, and water management
• Climate Change and Global Warming - Projected climate changes will also affect future water supplies. Currently, winter precipitation stored as snow in the Olympics provides much of the summer stream flow. Global warming may shift both the timing and form of precipitation, leading to reduced winter snow retention, increased winter flooding and potentially critical effects on late season flow levels.

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