FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT

February 2, 2000 Scarlet Tang, (360) 676-6736

BELLINGHAM — Water flows and their effects on fish habitat are the focus of an upcoming study of the Nooksack River basin that will be discussed at public information meetings on Thursday, Feb. 17.

The WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project will host two informal public open houses that day. The first is from 1 to 3 p.m. at the People’s Place, located at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden; the second is from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Whatcom County Water Resources Conference room, 1000 N. Forest St., Bellingham. At 2 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dr. Thomas B. Hardy, a Utah State University professor and internationally-known expert on instream flow issues, will give a 30-minute presentation about the instream flow assessment.

Scheduled to begin in the spring of 2000, the assessment will gather information on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water bodies in the Nooksack River basin and certain neighboring watersheds.

"The watershed management project will use this information to analyze how much water needs to be in our river systems for fish and other uses," said Bruce Roll, the Whatcom County Water Division manager and a staff member of the project. "The results of the study will give us the best available science for making future decisions about allocating water among different uses."

The study is funded in part by a grant from the state Department of Ecology. In addition, staff from the City of Bellingham, Lummi Nation, the Nooksack Tribe, Public Utility District No.1 and Whatcom County are contributing time and resources to the assessment.

The instream flow study is one component of the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project’s technical work. The WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project brings together citizens, local governments, tribes, and state and federal agencies to develop plans for water allocation, protecting water quality, and restoring fish habitat.

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