Nooksack Watershed Management Project

Water Quantity

Water quantity will be one of four components of the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Plan. As stated in the project's Scope of Work, the goal of the water quantity component is: "To assess water supply and use and to develop strategies to meet current and future needs. The strategies should retain or provide adequate amounts of water to protect and restore fish habitat, provide water for future out-of-stream uses and to ensure that adequate water supplies are available for agriculture, energy production, and population and economic growth under the requirements of the state's growth management act."

The water quantity technical team, which is made up of Initiating Governments staff, Planning Unit members, and technical experts, will lead the assessment of water quantity data that will contribute to meeting this goal.

One ongoing effort of the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project is to make sure all property owners know about their water rights. To find out if your residential property, farm, or small community water system has or needs a water right, please call Doug Allen 360- 738-6244.

Background information

The U.S. Geological Survey, under contract to the Initiating Governments, has collated existing information on water quantity in WRIA 1.

For information on the technical team, please read:

Water Quantity Technical Team Proposal

Water Quantity Technical Team Quarterly Reports

For information on water rights, you may want to read:

Washington Water Laws - A Primer (Dept of Ecology)

Washington State Water Right Adjudication Process: A Primer (Dept of Ecology)

The Water Right Permit Exemption (Dept of Ecology)

Water Rights in Washington: Questions and Answers (Dept of Ecology)

For information on how water budgets are estimated, you may want to read:

USGS Presentation on Estimating a Water Budget

The Nuts and Bolts of Water Budgets (Dept of Ecology)

For general information on some potential management options, please see:

Ecology Presentation on Water Storage and Reclamation Part 1

Ecology Presentation on Water Storage and Reclamation Part 2

Technical Products

A report on Stage I of the water rights review is now available. The report also has several tables (Excel files).

A report on Stage II of the water rights review is now available.

Water Quantity | Water Quality | Instream Flows | Fish Habitat | Return to Technical Work Page

Page last updated: July 28, 2005

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