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Department of Ecology News Release - Nov. 13, 2000
00-218
OLYMPIA - Efforts to generate a plan for protecting water supplies in the Quilcene-Snow Creek basin will get a boost Tuesday when the Department of Ecology (Ecology) delivers a $122,500 grant to the community.
At noon on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at Fort Worden State Park, Bldg. #204, Ecology will present Jefferson County with a check to pay for half of the final phase of the Quilcene-Snow Creek watershed plan. The other half of the money will arrive in July 2001, at the start of the next fiscal year.
The county is leading the broad-based, local planning effort, which also includes Clallam County, Port Townsend, nearby tribes, local ports and utilities, and representatives of business, agriculture and environmentalists.
"Local planning efforts are the only way we're going to succeed in salmon recovery, because the people have to support the effort," said Rep. Jim Buck, R-Joyce, whose district includes the watershed.
Ecology earlier awarded $242,000 to the county for phases one and two of its watershed planning. Phase one involved organizing the planning unit; phase two involved collecting information about the water resources within the watershed.
Phase three, the final phase, will produce a final watershed plan that identifies problems the watershed faces, proposes solutions and processes to resolve water issues, and identified potential funding. The plan will cover water quality, water availability, stream flows and valuable fish habitat.
According to Larry Fay, Jefferson County's environmental health director, "This funding allows us a terrific opportunity to take a comprehensive look at the entire watershed, which is something we couldn't afford to do with local resources alone. When we're done, we'll have a broad-spectrum view of all of the water information in the watershed so we can protect it from degradation."
In 1998, the state Legislature and Gov. Gary Locke established a framework for watershed planning within local communities and provided money to help local groups pay for their efforts. Watershed plans are intended to make sure a community's water resources are used wisely so there's enough water for economic and population growth and for fish and wildlife. So far, 40 of the state's 62 "water resource inventory areas" (watersheds) have initiated local watershed planning activities.
Quilcene-Snow Creek's grant is part of $4.7 million earmarked for watershed planning statewide this year.
Contact: Sandy Howard, public information officer, 360-407-6239; pager, 360-786-3136
Ecology's watershed planning Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/watershed/index.html
News editors: Reporters are welcome to attend the check presentation. To get there, enter the main entrance to Fort Worden State Park. Proceed straight ahead past the tennis courts, cross the next intersection, and continue straight ahead past building 203. The meeting is on the second floor of Building 204, which is next to the dining hall.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
