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Department of Ecology News Release - November 12, 2002
02-204
SPOKANE - Local efforts to plan for the future use of water in the "Middle Snake River" watershed are under way with the help of a $50,000 grant from the state Department of Ecology (Ecology).
Whitman, Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia counties, the city of Clarkston, and the largest water purveyor in the area, the Asotin Public Utility District have joined forces to initiate the watershed-planning process that was created by the state legislature in 1998. The Nez Perce Tribe also has agreed to participate in the effort, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation has been invited as well.
The grant will help cover the cost of organizing the planning unit and determining the scope of work, which is expected to take about a year.
The planning unit will then be eligible for additional grant money from Ecology for the second and third phases: assessing the current use and future needs for water from the Middle Snake River and its tributaries, and developing a plan to address those needs. The entire planning process is expected to be completed in four years.
The initiating governments have selected Economic and Engineering Services Inc. as the primary consultant for the first phase of the project.
"It's vitally important for local people to be involved in water resource decisions," said Victoria Leuba, who represents the Department of Ecology on the Middle Snake planning unit. "We hope the planning unit will have broad public participation so all parties feel their concerns are addressed."
Victoria Leuba can be reached at 509-625-5179. Those who are interested in becoming involved in the planning process should contact their county commissioners, the city of Clarkston or the Asotin County Public Utilities District.
Contact: Jani Gilbert, public information, 509-456-4464; pager, 509-622-1289
For more information on watershed planning: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/watershed/index.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
