WRIA 1 - Project Schedule

Project schedule

Developing the watershed plan is expected to take about six years, with implementation to occur over several years after the plan.

1999 – early 2000	Phase I: Organization Resolve organizational issues, such as how decisions will be made and how various organizations will interact. Whatcom County, the City of Bellingham, Lummi Nation, and Public Utility District No. 1 signed a Memorandum of Agreement to initiate the watershed planning process for WRIA 1. The Nooksack Tribe is also participating as an Initiating Government (IG), but chose not to sign the MOA. The five Initiating Governments formed a Planning Unit made up of representatives from IG staff and water resource interest caucuses. The Planning Unit developed a Process and Procedural Agreement that will guide their decision-making process. The Initiating Governments created a joint board to administer funds for the project. A technical team that included Planning Unit members and IG staff worked on a final scope of work for the project. The US Geological Survey, under contract to the Initiating Governments, collated existing information on water quantity. You can view maps about WRIA1's ground water system, surface water system, climate and evapotranspiration, and land use and land cover.
2000 – 2005	Phase II: Assessment Examine water issues including: What’s polluting surface water and groundwater, and potential ways to control those pollutants. How much water will be available and how it will be distributed and allocated over the next 30 years. The condition of fish habitat in the WRIA, and how to best enhance and protect it. The amount of instream flow to restore fish stocks.
2001 – 2005	Phase III: Planning Develop a plan of action for the watershed, using information from the assessment phase. Conduct more scientific studies. A Phase III technical scope of work will be written in the fall of 2001. There will also be some studies of Early Data Needs (EDNs). Utah State University is developing a Decision Support System (DSS), a series of computer models that will predict what might happen under different water policies. As the Initiating Governments and the Planning Unit consider different management possibilities, the DSS will predict their effects on water quantity, water quality, instream flow, and fish habitat. The preferred management options will become the Watershed Management Plan. The caucuses are helping to shape the DSS through the use of worksheets, where they describe the issues that they would like to see resolved. Version 2 of the worksheet summary is now available. The project will also conduct an environmental review of the Watershed Management plan, and will produce an Environmental Impact Statement.
2005 and beyond	Plan Implementation Implement the watershed management plan, monitor the success of its policies and programs. Revisit the plan as necessary.

Project background |Who’s involved |Project schedule |Map |News Releases

Page last updated: March 19, 2003

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