Puget Sound Coordinated Monitoring Program

Update

On May 28, 2009 the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council decided to move forward with setting up a coordinated ecosystem monitoring program at the Puget Sound Partnership. In doing so they did not rule out setting up or otherwise contracting with a non-profit institute to take on these functions in the future, and they will revisit the issue in a year. A significant reason for their decision was an AG analysis that the Legislature did not grant the Partnership authority to set up more than one non-profit entity. During their deliberations, the council members deeply probed the issues of greatest concern to the members of the consortium. The council members expressed much appreciation for the Governance Committee's work.

Status

The Puget Sound Partnership is in the process of hiring two new full-time staff members: a science program manager and a monitoring program coordinator. The monitoring program coordinator will report to the science program manager and will begin the work to organize a regional ecosystem monitoring program, including establish the steering committee and technical committee, soon after s/he is hired (likely November 2009).

Background

Ecology is supporting an exciting new effort to create an integrated, coordinated monitoring and assessment program for Puget Sound. The purpose of this effort is to establish a new coordinated multi-party structure to provide credible and useful information about the Puget Sound ecosystem. We hope that this program will guide the Puget Sound Partnership’s, Ecology’s, and others’ monitoring efforts and improve our policy and management decisions.

A new Governance Committee was formed to recommend an organizational structure and a decision-making process that are suited to the unique interests and circumstances of the Puget Sound Basin. In December 2008 this committee completed its Report to the Washington State Legislature and presented its findings to the Puget Sound Science Panel, the Washington Forum on Monitoring Salmon Recovery and Watershed Health, and other decision making bodies. Committee members hope to also present their findings to Legislators early in the 2009 session. Having completed its report and presented its findings, this committee does not plan to meet again unless requested to provide further assistance in implementing its recommendations. The support and involvement of federal, tribal, state, and local governments, the private sector, academia, and environmental organizations has been critical to the success of this effort.

• Cover letter for final report from Jay Manning, Director of the Department of Ecology, to the Washington State Legislature.
• Cover letter for final report from Puget Sound Monitoring Consortium to Jay Manning.
• Report to the Washington State Legislature.

An exploratory committee that preceded this effort recognized the need for coordinated monitoring to control costs and provide better information to strengthen our decision making processes. The exploratory committee submitted a report and recommendations in March 2007. They looked at coordinated monitoring programs that are up and running elsewhere in the country; the detailed analysis in the report provided an excellent starting point for the Governance Committee’s efforts. The Legislature provided Ecology with funding to take the next steps to develop a coordinated regional monitoring program during the 2007-2009 biennium.

A new Stormwater Work Group was formed to test some of the Governance Committee’s recommendations and develop an urgently needed regional monitoring and assessment strategy to assess stormwater impacts to beneficial uses; calculate pollutant loadings; and evaluate the effectiveness of stormwater management practices.

A Technical Advisory Committee is overseeing four pilot projects that the committee identified to test working relationships, meet pressing needs for coordination, and in two cases, expand local government initiatives.

Questions should be directed to Karen Dinicola, Project Manager, at 360-407-6550.

Problem and Purpose Statement

Status Report to the Puget Sound Science Panel

The Governance Committee’s deliberations on institutional structure options for a coordinated monitoring program were presented to the Puget Sound Science Panel at its meeting on April 15, 2008.

The discussion paper and PowerPoint presentation are available for download.
 

Exploratory Committee Report

• Surface Water and Aquatic Habitat Monitoring Advisory Committee Report and Recommendations (3/9/07)
• Surface Water and Aquatic Habitat Monitoring Advisory Committee Report and Recommendations (1/11/07)
• Appendix C - Abridged List Of Watershed Health And Salmon Recovery Databases Reported—Puget Sound Basin (WRIAs 1-19)

Washington Regional Monitoring Workshop - October 19, 2006

Presentations:

• Cooperative Regional Monitoring: The Southern California Experience
• Stormwater Monitoring Coalition and Other Regional/Statewide Collaborative Approaches in California Washington Regional Monitoring Workshop
• Regional Monitoring: The Lessons from San Francisco Bay