FRESH SHEET #4

November 2002

This fresh sheet includes:

• Update on Watershed Plan
• Update on environmental analysis
• Update on technical work
• Update on socioeconomic work
• Watershed planning news outside of WRIA 1
• What’s ahead

Update on Watershed Plan

The June 2003 deadline for the first version of the Watershed Plan is rapidly approaching. In October, the project team sat down to assess progress, and to decide what could realistically be included in the first version of the Plan.

There are delays in the project that affect what can be included in the Plan. One delay involves some models used to support the Decision Support System, which will help the project understand the effects of proposed policies and projects. It will take longer than expected to test the models, and they won’t be available to help evaluate management options for the June 2003 Plan. The second delay concerns recommendations for setting legal levels of instream flows for creeks and rivers. These recommendations will be based on the results of the water quantity and quality models, as well as policy decisions on how much water should be allocated to instream and out-of-stream uses. However, the recommendations won’t be ready in time for the Plan’s first version.

Considering these delays and the amount of available time and resources, the Plan is expected to include the following:

• Executive Summary, Introduction and Background, Planning Process, and Technical Assessment and Findings. These sections are relatively straightforward, and work will begin on them immediately.
• Alternatives Analysis. This section will describe the catalog of management options (the catalog includes all options that have been suggested for managing water in WRIA 1) and the process for selecting and evaluating scenarios, or packages of options. The alternatives analysis will also include pilot projects, WRIA-wide programs that can be implemented during the first year after Plan adoption, and information about the Decision Support System. Later versions of the Plan will include results from running the scenarios through the Decision Support System.
• Implementation Strategy. This will include the following four components.
  Instream Flow Selection and Adoption. A process for recommending and adopting instream flows will be laid out.
• Data Collection/Management/Monitoring. Some issues will still need studying after the first version of the Plan is finished, additional data will be needed to improve the water quantity and quality models, and projects will need to be evaluated for success. The implementation strategy will describe how future data will be collected, what protocols will be followed, and how the data will be organized and updated.
• Governance and Funding. Before the Plan can be put into action, the organizations that will be responsible for enacting projects and policies, monitoring and evaluating the results, and making changes in the Plan (also known as the governance strategy) must be identified. In addition to the governance structure, the implementation strategy will also identify sources of funding for the new activities.
• Adaptive Management. A process for evaluating the success of the plan, including, how to set performance standards and measure progress, an initial set of priorities for additional data collection, and a decision making framework to allow the Plan to be adapted to new information as it becomes available will be included as part of the implementation strategy.
• Public Involvement and Education. Activities to educate and involve the public will be outlined for each of the other pieces of the implementation strategy.

Update on Environmental Analysis

The Department of Ecology is working on an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to cover the majority of the watershed plans being developed under the state Watershed Management Act, including the WRIA 1 Watershed Plan. The draft EIS will likely be issued this winter.

The Ecology EIS will analyze the environmental impacts of a variety of different options for managing water. If the options included in the WRIA 1 Watershed Plan are also reviewed in the Ecology EIS, it won’t be necessary to do a separate EIS for the WRIA 1 Plan, and the Ecology EIS can simply be adopted by the WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project. At this point, a separate EIS doesn’t seem to be needed.

Update on Technical Work

Work continues on Phase III Technical Assessment but there will be some changes and clarifications made to some of the tasks as a result of recent discussions with Utah State University (USU) and Parametrix. These recommendations are likely to include:

• Clarification of the ground water quantity model
• Extension of deliverable dates for “beta” versions of the models
• Emphasis on earlier delivery of certain parts of the Decision Support System (watershed characterization), and instream flow work (weighted usable area curves)
• Clarification of the peer review process for the models, and other deliverables

Update on Socioeconomic Work

Originally, one important part of the socioeconomic studies was an analysis of the non-market goods and services (the “quality of life” considerations that often get left out of traditional economic studies) that would be affected by potential management alternatives. Because the development of the alternatives is delayed, this portion of the economic analysis will focus on developing clear methodology to be used when the water quantity and quality models are available.

Watershed Planning Outside of WRIA 1

On November 14, the Washington chapter of the American Water Resources Association will sponsor a one-day conference called “Beyond Watershed Planning.” The conference will be held at the Seattle Art Museum. The pre-registration fee is $100; walk-in registration is $125. For more information, visit http://earth.golder.com/waawra.

In late October, the governor’s blue-ribbon panel on watershed plan implementation issued recommendations to the legislature. You can get a copy of the report at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0206023a.html.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the report, the Watershed Plan Implementation Committee and the Governor's Water Team are hosting a conference, "Washington’s Water Future: Implementing Watershed Solutions." The conference will be on Tuesday, November 19, 9:00 - 4:30, at the Rhodes Center in Tacoma. Registration is not required and there is no fee. Conference details can be found at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/watershed/conference-nov02.htm

The Entiat watershed in Chelan County has released an initial draft of their watershed plan. For a copy, visit their web site at http://www.co.chelan.wa.us/nr/nr8.htm.

What’s Ahead

The project team is working to get a draft Plan ready for public review by next spring. Expect to see initial proposals for the implementation strategy this winter. And if you belong to a community group interested in finding out more, call 360/676-6876 to set up a presentation about the Plan.

The WRIA 1 Watershed Management Project brings together citizens, local governments, tribes, and state and federal agencies to develop plans for allocating water, protecting water quality, and ensuring quality fish habitat. The fresh sheet is issued regularly and provides a brief update of project activities. To join the mailing list, contact Scarlet Tang at (360) 676-6876 or e-mail stang@co.whatcom.wa.us. You can also download fresh sheets from http://wria1project.wsu.edu.