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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 1997
97-173
CONTACT: Peggy Clifford (360) 407-7262
Mary Getchell (360) 407-6157; Pager (360) 534-8590
Olympia, WA - The Washington Department of Ecology announced today that it will issue $2.5 million in grants to help communities throughout Washington get started or continue watershed planning.
"Effective watershed planning will require the collaboration of local and state governments, businesses, Indian tribes and others. We hope that groups will form to respond to the challenges of meeting new water needs driven by population growth, and at the same time respond to the need to restore aquatic habitat, good water quality and endangered or depressed fish stocks," said Tom Fitzsimmons, Ecology's director.
The state legislature provided funding for the grants with a bill passed this year authorizing local watershed planning. The purpose of the grants is to help build the local capacity to collect and evaluate watershed information and to make decisions and recommendations on the future management of water resources, water quality and the aquatic environment. The bill directs local planning units to be organized by Water Resource Inventory Areas. The state is divided into 62 such areas.
Each Water Resource Inventory Area planning unit may apply for a grant of up to $50,000 to initiate planning by identifying the issues to be addressed and developing a budget and timetable for the planning process. Once this is accomplished, a planning unit may apply for an additional grant of up to $200,000 for each area. Ecology and legislative leaders are currently discussing the criteria to make the additional funds available.
"We will work closely with communities to develop and identify their watershed planning proposals," said Fitzsimmons. "It is in the best interest of our citizens and the environment to develop plans that can be implemented and which have broad public support."
For a grant application, contact Ann Shipley, Department of Ecology, PO Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, (360) 407-6624.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
