Skagit River Basin - Skagit River Management Rule

The Skagit River Management Rule (WAC 173-503) establishes how Ecology will manage water use in the basin including administration of reservations of water for specific beneficial uses, issuance of interruptible water rights that cannot be used when flows in certain streams and the river are too low, and consideration of mitigation plans to name a few. Use of water from the reservations is accounted for and will be displayed on this website.

Skagit Water Reservations 2007 Annual Report

This report summarizes water uses from April 14, 2001 to December 31, 2007 utilizing the reservations established in the rule. The reservations apply back to April 14, 2001 in order to provide uninterruptible water supplies for water users that established their water use after the original Skagit Instream Flow Rule (WAC 173-503) was adopted.

Skagit Reservation Accounting Report - April 14, 2001- December 31, 2007
Appendix A - Skagit County Permit Counting Spreadsheet
Appendix B - Snohomish County Permit Counting Spreadsheet
Appendix C - Skagit County Description of Water Use Estimating Process
Appendix D - Livestock Water Use Spreadsheet

Reservation Details

Frequently Asked Questions - Skagit River Basin Water Reservations

Agricultural Irrigation

A reservation of 3,564 acre feet of water was established for future commercial agricultural irrigation from either ground or surface water. Geographically, the reservation is available to users in the Lower, Middle and Upper Skagit sub-basins. Potential users of this reservation will need to obtain a water right from Ecology.

Domestic, Municipal, Commercial/Industrial

A reservation of a maximum average consumptive daily use of 9,370,208 gallons per day of water was established for domestic, municipal, or commercial/industrial water supply for the entire basin. While the reservation applies to the entire basin, many subbasins have maximum reservations for that geographic area that cannot be exceeded. The reservation is available to users exempt from the permitting process and to users requiring a water right.

Stock Watering

A reservation of 324,000 gallons per day of water was established for new stock water uses from either ground or surface water. Geographically, the reservation is available to users in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Skagit subbasins. The reservation is available to users exempt from the permitting process and to users requiring a water right.

Mitigation Plans

The Skagit River management rule allows for applicants or governmental agencies to submit mitigation plans to Ecology for approval. These mitigation plans can be submitted to mitigate for an individual withdrawal or to mitigate for multiple withdrawals in a subbasin. The protocol below describes the steps that Ecology will go through when considering a mitigation plan. If Ecology approves a mitigation plan under this rule, that plan will be documented and shared on this website.

Mitigation Plan Review Protocol – Steps that Ecology will take when reviewing a mitigation plan
Approved Mitigation Plans – None to date

Overview of the basin

Skagit River Facts

Size: The Skagit River is more than 160 miles long and the third largest river on the West Coast of the contiguous United States, after the Columbia and Sacramento rivers. It provides about 20 percent of the fresh water flowing into Puget Sound, or nearly 10 billion gallons a day.
Location: The river originates in Canada then flows south and west through the North Cascade Range. With some 2,900 tributaries, it drains 3,130 square miles of watershed in 2,730 square miles in Washington and 400 in British Columbia.
Animal Species: 5 species of salmon, globally rare Salish sucker, neotropical migrant birds, bald eagles, fishers, grizzly bear, wolves, trumpeter swan, gray-bellied brant, and many raptors and waterfowl. The Skagit is the only river system in Washington which supports all five species of salmon. It contains some of the largest and healthiest wild Chinook salmon runs in Puget Sound and the largest pink salmon stock in Washington.

Detailed maps

Watershed Planning information:

Upper/Lower Skagit - WRIA 3/4 Watershed Plan

Contact

Andy Dunn
Phone: (425) 649-7270
e-mail: andy.dunn@ecy.wa.gov