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Department of Ecology News Release - July 16, 2007
07-199
OLYMPIA - Residents of the northeast Olympic Peninsula and others interested in managing water for people, farms and fish are invited to attend the second of three community forums and presentations on the future of the Quilcene-Snow watershed.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is hosting the forums so people can learn more about how population growth, low summer and fall river flows and other factors affect water supply in the watershed. The Quilcene-Snow watershed extends from the northeast flank of the Olympic Mountains to Hood Canal and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It includes direct drainages to Puget Sound from Jimmycomelately Creek in the northwest to the Big Quilcene River in the south.
The forum and presentation will be:
Informational materials, displays and videos will be available at the forum. People will have several ways to express their views and opportunities to speak one-on-one with water resource managers and Ecology staff.
This is the second of three scheduled forums. More may be held to give the public an opportunity to comment on the process Ecology is using to adopt "instream flow rules" for the Quilcene-Snow watershed (Water Resource Inventory Area 17). The rules establish water rights for streams that extend to fish and other instream resources. Based on historical information, a rule specifies the amount of water to be protected at a particular stream location on a month-to-month basis. Once adopted, an instream flow rule affects only water-right decisions made thereafter.
"We're really looking at quality of life issues in the watershed," said Joe Stohr, special assistant for water at Ecology. "We're working with local residents, governments and Indian tribes to protect future water supplies for the benefit of local communities and the economy. At the same time, stream flows need to be protected for many fish populations in the area."
Later this year, Ecology officials will use ideas and suggestions from the forums to develop a formal draft of instream flow rules. Additional opportunities to comment on the draft will be provided before a final plan is adopted by spring 2008.
Previous work to create instream flow rules for the Quilcene-Snow watershed experienced a few hiccups. The community did not feel adequately included in the first rulemaking attempt, so it was suspended in 2005. Ecology started over with a renewed focus on public involvement and outreach for residents of Jefferson and Clallam counties. ###
Contact: Dan Partridge, public information officer, 360-407-6607
For more information on water resources: http://water.jefferson.wsu.edu
Ecology website on Quilcene-Snow watershed: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/instream-flows/quilsnowbasin.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
