Washington State Department of Ecology

Ecology Home > Water Resources > Instream Flows in Washington > Dungeness Water Management

Dungeness Water Management

WRIA 18 Basin Map
Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 18

Dungeness Water Watch

Newsletters and Videos

Subscribe by E-mail to the monthly
Dungeness water management newsletter

Subscribe to the Dungeness Water
Management E-mail list

Contacts

Ann Wessel
Instream Flow Rule Lead
Department of Ecology
1440 10th St., Suite 102
Bellingham WA 98225
Phone: 360 715-5215
E-mail: ann.wessel@ecy.wa.gov

Cynthia Nelson
Watershed Lead
Department of Ecology
PO Box 47775
Olympia WA 98504-7775
360 407-0276
E-mail: cynthia.nelson@ecy.wa.gov

PROPOSED RULE FILED May 9, 2012

Ecology filed the proposed water management rule on May 9, 2012. The proposed rule is currently available for review and comment, along with supporting environmental and economic analyses. A public hearing will be held in Sequim on June 28, 2012. The comment period on the proposed rule ends July 9, 2012.

To obtain copies of the proposed rule language and learn more about the public hearings and how you can provide comments:

Dungeness Water Management - Proposed Rule

Additional Infomation

Frequently Asked Questions on Changes to Water Use in the Dungeness Watershed May 2012 - What homeowners, builders and real estate agents need to know about water for a new home or project.
Public comment period begins today on proposed water management rule for the Dungeness - Ecology News Release May 9, 2012

Dungeness Water Watch

The Dungeness Water Watch Newsletters and Voices of the Dungeness Videos have been moved to their own web page. You can see them now at:

Dungeness Water Watch Newsletters and Voices of the Dungeness Video Series

Water Management Rule

Work on a water management rule for the Dungeness watershed resumed in late Fall 2011. Adoption of a rule is an important part of water resource planning, to protect stream flows and water for domestic (household) needs.

Work on a water management rule began in 2006, as Ecology joined with local governments, Tribes, business owners, environmental and civic organizations, residents and others in eastern Clallam County to draft rule language. Rule development was put on hold in late 2010, while local water resource managers focused on some key issues outside the scope of a rule: water supplies for development, resource protection, and flow restoration. The delay in rulemaking also lined up with Governor Gregoire’s November 2010 executive order to suspend most rulemaking for one year unless critical.

In February 2011, an Agreement in Principle (AIP) was created, outlining water management areas for work while rulemaking is on hold. The AIP was signed by Clallam County, the Sequim-Dungeness Water Users Association and Ecology. The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe conveyed their support via a letter from Tribal Chairman Ron Allen. Signers of the AIP agreed that within 18 months a Dungeness water management rule would be in place (August 2012).

To keep the issues listed in the AIP moving forward, the Local Leaders Water Management Work Group (LLWG) was formed and meets regularly. In addition to AIP signers, their discussions include the City of Sequim, Clallam County PUD, and the Clallam Conservation District as well as some members of the public. Building on the work done by the LLWG, community outreach efforts have now resumed.

Economic Analysis

Economic analyses are integral to rulemaking. Ecology uses the information to ensure that the rule is consistent with legislative policy and existing law, and to provide access for the public and legislature to Ecology’s decision-making processes.

Focus on Economic Analysis - April 2012

Open Houses held in January

Two open houses were held in Sequim, on January 30 and 31, 2012 that featured information stations where citizens got answers to questions about water management issues in the basin and the proposed rule.

Dungeness water rule put to test - news article by Mark St. J. Couhig, Sequim Gazette February 1, 2012
Question and Answer - Setting Instream Flows in Dungeness River Basin - to provide more detail about the use of scientific studies related to instream flow
Instream Flows for the Dungeness River - presentation by Brad Caldwell, Ecology and Hal Beecher, Fish and Wildlife January 30, 2012
WRIA 18 Stream Management Subbasins and Control Points

Public Workshop to Explain Dungeness Water Exchange held in March

Washington Water Trust (WWT), Ecology and the Clallam County commissioners met with the public on March 27, 2012 to discuss how a Dungeness Water Exchange could ensure water for new uses with the adoption of a water management (instream flow) rule for the Dungeness watershed. Bob Barwin, environmental engineer with Ecology, and Amanda Cronin, the WWT’s project manager, made a presentation on the proposed Dungeness Water Exchange and provided written materials.

For more information on the Dungeness Water Exchange see the February issue of Dungeness Water Watch

What is the purpose of the rule?

The proposed rule would guide water use planning and decision-making for new water users, and set policies to help protect the availability of water supplies for current and future needs of people and the environment.

The Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Plan obligated Ecology to develop a water management rule, and many sections of the existing draft rule are based on its recommendations. The Plan included a number of recommendations for management of new water supplies and water rights, water quality, instream flows and fish habitat.

For more information on the history of Dungeness rule development, click here.

Why is a rule needed? Pressures on Dungeness water supply

Ecology has a legal obligation to both provide for reliable supplies of drinking water and to protect fish, wildlife and other “instream resources” that depend on adequate amounts of water in streams. That’s a delicate balance but one that can be achieved with smart, cooperative water management.

The Dungeness watershed has many water challenges. The amount of water available for use varies greatly across the watershed and throughout the year. In the mountains, precipitation averages 80 inches a year, compared to Sequim which gets only about 16 inches a year.

In addition to the naturally limited water supply in many areas, there is also the problem of high demand at the very time water supplies are naturally lowest: the summer and early fall. Farm irrigation and lawn-watering are at their peaks, at the same time spawning fish and the natural environment also need water in streams.

Significant effort and expense has already gone to restoring flows in the Dungeness River, and protection is needed for these investments.

Population growth in the Dungeness is among the highest in the state, and is only expected to increase. It is already difficult to get water for new projects since most water is already legally spoken for, especially in the late summer.

The Dungeness watershed is one of 16 in our state that is considered “water-critical:” basins with a shortage of water for existing needs. Four fish species dependent on the Dungeness River have come under the protection of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), due to human-induced factors such as . insufficient streamflows from water diversions, unstable shifting channels from logging practices, too much salmon harvest and and genetic effects from too many artificial hatchery salmon. Other species are being considered for listing. And there are several Dungeness fish species listed as “critical” by the state.

For all these reasons and more, careful water management is needed for the Dungeness. A water management rule is one important tool.

Dungeness River from Route 101

Additional resources on water management

A Guide to Water and How We Use It in the Dungeness Watershed – June 2010. Detailed guide on water supply and water management
Understanding Washington Water Law – Links to answer many of your questions related to adopting an instream flow and water management rule in the Dungeness watershed.
Water Resource Management in the Dungeness Watershed - Revised June 2010. A look at the demands on water and the Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Plan
Watershed planning in the Dungeness – a 2009 PowerPoint presentation by Cynthia Nelson, Ecology Watershed Lead (See the Watershed Plan here.)

The Dungeness River Management Team (DRMT) is a partnership of individuals, stakeholders and governments in the Dungeness watershed. They have worked together for years to develop and implement locally based, long-term solutions to watershed management issues. The public is invited to attend their monthly meetings.

Sequim Gazette 2007-2009 news article series on water issues and planning

During 2007 - 2009, the Sequim Gazette published a series of articles to inform the public on the complex water management issues in the Dungeness watershed. The articles provide a good overview on the many water and water planning issues in the watershed.

Instream flow proposal meets river challenges – A look at the elements of an early draft of the rule, and the challenges it addresses, 12/23/09
Every drop counts in the Dungeness – Summer water use and the many demands on water, 12/10/09
Water exchange may provide year-round supply – The challenge of finding water for new year-round uses, and mitigation as one possible solution, 2/12/09
Water Resource Management: It's a big picture with a lot of players - Proposed Dungeness instream flow rule just one piece of the puzzle, 10/29/08
Using water wisely for farming - Irrigators help stretch water supply, 7/30/08
Maintaining the water we can't see - The importance of groundwater in the Dungeness watershed, 6/11/08
Who is planning for our water? – The many community groups with interests in water, 5/7/08
Protecting the water for fish - Setting stream flow levels (“instream flows”) is a tool for protecting water systems, 3/19/08
Whose water is it? - A crash course in Washington water law, 2/20/08
Go online to track stream flow levels - Stream gauges monitor flow and help guide water resource decisions, 1/2/08
How’s the water supply in the Dungeness watershed? - A crash course on precipitation patterns and water use, 11/21/07

Informational materials from the rulemaking effort prior to 2010

Ecology has been working with interested local community groups and members for many years on developing a water management rule. This included extensive education and outreach efforts in the community, such as public workshops held in February 2009, March 2008 and November 2007. Some of the workshop materials are linked to below:

Rule concepts – PowerPoint presentation on how water can be provided for growth while protecting existing water rights and stream flows, by Sarah Ferguson, Ecology (2009)
Elements of an Instream Flow and Water Management Rule – March 2008 Presentation
Water for People, Farms and Fish – Pamphlet includes information on water management rules, how a rule will affect water users, and options for managing water (from March 2008 community forum, “Managing Water in Your Watershed”)
Poster Series – 5 informative posters providing basic background information on the subjects of: Water Law, Surface and Ground Water, Fish Habitat, Water supply options, and an overview of Water Supply in the Dungeness (from 11/29/07 workshop)

Dungeness River in August

Scientific data for the Dungeness

There is data on the Dungeness watershed going back many years. Some of the more current data available is linked to below. See also Other Resources.

Groundwater and Aquifer Recharge

Dungeness ground water model documentation and all final products from the aquifer recharge grant – Clallam County webpage with links to study documents
Groundwater presentation – PowerPoint on Dungeness groundwater and aquifers, and influences on groundwater supplies, by Dave Nazy, Ecology Hydrogeologist 2009
Sequim-Dungeness Hydrogeology - Dave Nazy, Ecology hydrogeologist March 2007
Surface Water-Ground Water Interactions – USGS study of the Lower Dungeness, September 1999-July 2001

Threatened and Endangered Fish

One of the drivers behind developing a water management rule for the Dungeness is the presence of threatened and endangered fish. The Dungeness River Chinook, Hood Canal and East Juan de Fuca Straits summer chum, steelhead, and bull trout are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Two of the primary efforts on fish protection and recovery are:

Federal Salmon recovery planning - Actions from the Puget Sound Chinook Recovery Plan are ongoing. The Dungeness River Management Team took part in developing the watershed’s chapter in the draft Puget Sound Chinook Recovery Plan and members of the Elwha Morse Management Team helped in planning for that area.
Local salmon recovery planning - The Dungeness River Management Team continues to take part in the North Olympic Lead Entity’s reviewing and prioritizing funding requests submitted to the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.

Additional resources:

16 Fish Critical Basins - map
Protection of low flow periods critical for fish production - Summary of technical documents by Brad Caldwell, fish biologist, Ecology (2011) – page includes links to studies on instream flows and fish
SalmonScape, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's interactive, computer mapping system, is one of the most important tools created thus far to deliver scientific information to those involved in on-the-ground salmon recovery projects.
Washington State Conservation Commission, Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Limiting Factors Report - WRIA 18 Salmon and Steelhead Stock Designations and Associated Status

The Watershed Plan

The final Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Plan was developed and approved under the Watershed Planning Act, Ch.90.82 RCW.

An extended Clallam County review of the Plan included several meetings with stakeholders, public meetings, and hearings. Members of the planning teams reviewed public comment and amended plan recommendations where consensus could be reached. The Clallam County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the plan on June 7, 2005.

Some Plan recommendations related to rule development include:

Adopt by rule the recommended instream flow levels for streams and tributaries.
Protect and continue to restore flows in the Dungeness mainstem.
Negotiate measures to provide future drinking water while protecting late summer and fall stream flows.
Develop aquifer and off-channel storage and conservation as sources of new water supplies and as a means to minimize effects on late season stream flows.
Emphasize the need for new development to use existing public water systems wherever possible.

Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Planning Website

Other Resources

Clallam County Water Related Information (Puget Sound Action Team)
Climate Change and Global Warming - Projected climate changes will also affect future water supplies. Currently, winter precipitation stored as snow in the Olympics provides much of the summer stream flow. Global warming may shift both the timing and form of precipitation, leading to reduced winter snow retention, increased winter flooding and potentially critical effects on late season flow levels.
Ecology River and Stream Flow Monitoring Network – shows sites and types of surface water gauges, with real-time flow information
Environmental Information Management (Ecology) – access to a database of over 12 million environmental records on air, water, soil sediment, aquatic animals and plants in Washington State
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Homepage
Well Log Search and View (Ecology) – searchable database of the location, ownership, construction and other details on completed water wells
WRIA 18 Elwha-Dungeness watershed page – Ecology webpage with links to studies, publications and outside links
Working for Washington’s Future: Healthy Watersheds, Healthy People – Ecology publication on watersheds, how the health of watersheds is intertwined with that of people, examples of successful watershed improvement efforts, and a resource list.