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Nooksack Watershed Planning (WRIA 1)
Lead agency contact:
Jeff Chalfant
Whatcom County Planning Department
(360) 676-6707
JChalfan@co.whatcom.wa.us
Ecology contact:
Doug Allen
Department of Ecology
(360) 715-5217
doua461@ecy.wa.gov
Implementation phase:
Planning phase: Phase 4
Optional elements: Quality, Habitat, Flows
Plan due: 4th Quarter 2003
Grants awarded: About $766,000 through June 2005
Initiating governments: Whatcom County, City of Bellingham, Public Utility District No. 1, Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe
Plan website: Nooksack Watershed Management Project
Mission statement
In the broadest terms, the objectives of the project are to assess the status of the water resources in WRIA #1 and determine the best management strategies to balance the competing demands for water and to ensure long-term sustainability of that balance. Critical to that process is the balance between instream and out of stream uses of water and the provision of adequate future water supplies for uses such as agriculture, energy production, and population and economic growth.
Progress
The WRIA 1 Watershed Management Plan was adopted by the Whatcom County Council on June 7th, 2005. The Planning Unit initiated Phase 4 (Plan Implementation) in July 2007. Utah State University is working on the final versions of the computer models for surface and groundwater quantity and quality, and instream flows. They are also working to complete the Decision Support System (DSS) computer program that will provide a comparison of various management options and integrate the models listed above.One of the main components of the plan is the Instream Flow Selection and Adoption Plan, which describes a process and objectives for assessing instream flow needs and negotiating minimum flows needed to protect fish and meet the needs of out-of-stream uses to the greatest extent possible. Two instream flow pilot negotiations in the Bertrand and Nooksack Middle Fork drainages were initiated in spring 2005 as early implementation actions.
Water quality assessments have been developed for surface temperature, dissolved oxygen and other water quality parameters for Lake Whatcom. Monitoring to support all surface water quality models is being developed by Utah State University. Lake Whatcom modeling and data collection has been coordinated with Ecology's TMDL work. Copies of assessment work and reports, and their current status, can be obtained from the contact listed below.
Publications
Documents prepared by the planning unit
- Memorandum of Agreement (11 kilobytes)
Studies or data relevant to planning for this area
Other resources
Washington State Department of Ecology home page
Please send additions or corrections to Chris Anderson, (360) 407-6634.