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Department of Ecology News Release - November 16, 2007
07-343
OLYMPIA - Residents of the Olympic Peninsula and others interested in the future of managing water in the Dungeness River Basin are invited to the first of three community forums. The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) is hosting a "Community Forum: Managing Water in Your Watershed" in Sequim. The meeting is a chance for people to learn more about water resources in the Dungeness River area. Comments on approaches to managing water, especially during summer low flows, will be welcome.
The forum will be:
Those attending the forum can find out more about their watershed through printed materials, posters and one-on-one discussions with water resource managers. The displays will include information on the watershed’s water supply picture, water rights, current and expected water usage, and stream flows needed to sustain fish.
With help from the Dungeness River Management Team, advisory committees and other local groups and citizens, Ecology will develop an instream flow and water management rule for the Dungeness River area (part of the Elwha-Dungeness Water Resource Inventory Area, WRIA 18). Ecology is required by law to adopt rules that establish “instream flows” for each watershed in the state.
The rules establish water rights for streams that extend to fish and other resources that depend on adequate flows in rivers and streams. An instream flow and water management rule affects only water-right decisions made after the rule is formally adopted.
“Rules are written to address the unique circumstances of each watershed. That’s why it's important for local residents to understand water resource issues in their area, and to have a say in crafting language that is responsive to community needs. This series of meetings provides such an opportunity,” said Ken Slattery, manager of Ecology’s Water Resources Program.
The purpose of the Nov. 29 meeting is to introduce water resource issues in the Dungeness to the community and encourage local involvement in the rule-making process. After the first of the year, two more meetings will provide additional information and opportunities for public input. The first draft of the instream flow and water management rule is expected to be available for public review in the spring of 2008.
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Contact: Dan Partridge, 360-407-7139 (dpar461@ecy.wa.gov)
Ecology website on Dungeness watershed: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/instream-flows/dungeness.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
