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Department of Ecology News Release - Oct. 3, 2000
00-194
BELLEVUE – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) wants to make sure there is always enough water in the Skagit River system to protect fish and sustain other uses, regardless of season or rainfall.
To support that goal, Ecology is proposing a rule to that would establish minimum stream flows for the entire Skagit River basin, except the Samish River sub-basin. This is the first time since 1986 that the agency has tried to adopt flows for a state river basin. Ecology has adopted rules that set flows for 18 of the state's 62 basins.
On Oct. 12, the agency will conduct a workshop to give the public an opportunity to learn and ask questions about the proposed rule. The event will start at 7 p.m. at the Skagit Valley Community College, Rm. F101 in Ford Hall, located at 2405 E. College Way in Mount Vernon.
The recommendation to adopt an in-stream flow rule was put forth by the Skagit River In-stream Flow Committee, formed in 1996 to study the habitat, hydrologic and flow needs of salmon in the Skagit basin. The team consists of representatives from the city of Anacortes, Skagit County Board of County Commissioners, Skagit County Public Utility District No. 1, the state departments of Fish & Wildlife and Ecology, and Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe.
"The Skagit River system is an important basin with seemingly abundant water and fish," said Rod Sakrison, Ecology's lead for watershed planning in the Skagit basin. "But the recent listing of Puget Sound Chinook salmon as threatened, coupled with population growth in the area, compel us to make sure we keep enough water in the basin."
If adopted, the rule will affect all pending and subsequent water-right applications in the targeted part of the Skagit system. The proposed rule will also establish the amount of water available for appropriation from surface and ground waters in the basin.
According to Sakrison, water rights already in place will be unaffected by the rule. However, if the proposed measure were adopted, any new right would be subject to the requirements of the in-stream flow rule. New water rights, for example, could be interrupted on a frequent basis, particularly in the months of August and September.
"We've put water right applications in the Skagit Basin on hold until the stream-flow issue is addressed," Sakrison said. There are currently 93 surface- and ground-water applications pending in the Skagit Basin.
By recommending stream flows and identifying the amount of water available for appropriation, the proposed rule will provide a foundation for future watershed planning in the Skagit River watershed. These planning elements include:
The draft rule-writing was a collaborative effort between the planning workgroup, affected tribes, Ecology and other state agencies. The rule adoption process will be coordinated by Ecology's watershed lead for the Skagit Basin.
Contact: Rod Sakrison, Skagit Basin Watershed Lead, (425) 649-4447
Curt Hart, Public Information Manager (425) 649-7009; pager, (206) 663-1785
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
