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Department of Ecology News Release - August 3, 2007
07-221
WALLA WALLA--Walla Walla-area water management is changing to protect existing water rights, accommodate future growth and improve fish runs.
Department of Ecology Director Jay Manning Thursday, August 2, adopted an updated water management rule for the Walla Walla Basin.
Although the new rule does not affect existing water rights, it is designed to prevent any further degradation of stream-flow levels in the Walla Walla Basin which includes the Touchet and Walla Walla Rivers and Mill Creek systems. Water resources are already limited in the basin and the region’s population is projected to grow by 24 percent by 2020.
The new rule updates regulations initially adopted in 1977 by:
The rule is based, in part, on recommendations developed in 2005 by the Walla Walla Watershed Planning Unit, a locally-based group that drew up a new plan for water management in the basin. Manning’s signing of the rule comes after two years of intense discussions with the planning unit, other stakeholders, Commissioners of Walla Walla and Columbia counties and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and extensive public input.
“I appreciate the commitment of our partners in the watershed to better protect the basin’s water supplies and their support of this rule,” Manning said. “This rule is a critical step in the daunting task before us -- restoring stream flows, while meeting current and future water demand.”
The streams in the basin do not currently meet the stream flow levels. Flow restoration is a key objective of this effort and the work of the basin partners. Flows help protect instream resources such as fish and existing water rights.
The rule also limits withdrawals from the shallow gravel aquifer that provides much of the groundwater in the basin by closing the aquifer except for some limited uses.
Beginning Sept. 5, 2007, future permit-exempt groundwater use from the shallow aquifer in areas with a zoned density equal to or denser than one residence per ten acres (high density areas) will be managed differently.
Wells can still be drilled under the rule but the amount of water that can be withdrawn from the aquifer in high density areas will be limited and metered for single or group residential developments or stock watering, small uses that do not require water rights.
“The director (of Ecology) listened to our many concerns on behalf of the county, and after numerous meetings and much work, an acceptable plan has now resulted,” said Gregg Loney, chair of the Walla Walla County Commissioners. “By working together we have been able to preserve access to the shallow aquifer for landowners in the 10-acre zoning area of the county, and address our shared goals of water conservation and protecting existing water rights, including instream flows.”
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Media Contact: Dan Partridge, 360-407-6607
For details and supporting documents on the new water management rule: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/instream-flows/wallawallabasin.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
