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WRIA 19 (Hoko-Lyre) Watershed Plan Draft

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WRIA 19 (Hoko-Lyre) Watershed Plan Draft WRIA 19 (Hoko-Lyre) Watershed Plan Draft Lead Entity : Clallam County Funded by Washington Department of Ecology Grant no. G050013 (Intentionally Left Blank) WRIA 19 (LYRE - HOKO) WATERSHED PLAN Public Review DRAFT October 2008 Prepared by the Lyre-Hoko Watershed (WRIA 19) Planning Unit Cover photo: Hoko River (Intentionally Left Blank) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WRIA 19 Planning Non-governmental Unit Members Herb Balch, Citizen Margaret Owens, Citizen Harry Bell, Green Crow Josey Paul, Citizen John Burdick, Citizen Janeen Porter, Citizen Karolyn Burdick, Citizen Patrick Raymond, Olympic Resource Management Coleman Byrnes, Citizen Ken Sadilek, Citizen Bill Drath, Clallam Bay/Sekiu Chamber of Commerce Louise Sadilek, Citizen Don Hamerquist, Citizen Frank Silvernail, Crown Pacific (formerly) Ian MacIver, Rayonier Jane Vanderhoof, Citizen Sasha Medlen, Citizen Peter Vanderhoof, Citizen Joe Murray, Merrill & Ring Connie Beauvais, Crescent Water Association, Inc. Carol Johnson/Don Hansen, North Olympic Timber Action Committee Cindy Kelly, Dry Creek Water Association, Inc. WRIA 19 Planning Unit Initiating Governments Members Jim Medlen, Lyle Almond, Jeff Shellberg, Gwen Bridge, Andy Ritchie – Makah Tribe Tom Martin, Mike Kitz – Clallam Public Utility District Cathy Lear, Pat Crain, Debi Barnes, Jeff Bohman, Andy Brastad – Clallam County Doug Morrill, Ted Schmidt – Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe A special thank you is extended to the government policy makers who supported this planning process and who are ultimately responsible for implementing these recommendations: Clallam County Commissioners: Clallam PUD Commissioners: Mike Chapman – District 2 Hugh “Ted” Simpson, District 3 Mike Doherty – District 3 Will Purser, District 1 Steve Tharinger – District 1 Hugh Haffner, District 2 Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Council: Makah Tribal Council: Frances G. Charles – Chairwoman Micah McCarty – Chairman Dennis Sullivan – Vice Chairman Michael Lawrence – Vice Chairman Phillip L. Charles, Jr. – Secretary/ Timothy J Green – Treasurer/Council Treasurer Member Joe Turrey – Council Member Nathan Tyler – Council Member Russ Hepfer – Council Member Blanchard Matte – Council Member JoDean Haupt-Richards – Tribal Secretary Shirley Perete – Enrollment Officer WRIA 19 Planning Unit State Government Representative Member Bob Duffy and Cynthia Nelson – WA Department of Ecology Jim Pacheco and Terra Hegy – Instream flow technical team Other members (in alphabetical order): Bob and June Bowlby, Citizens Aaron Brooks, Fisheries Technician, Makah Tribe Fisheries Department Dick Goin, Citizen Mike McGarvie, Citizen Ringo McGimpsey, Fisheries Technician, Makah Tribe Fisheries Department Mike McHenry, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Chuck Owens, Citizen Clea Rome, Clallam Conservation District Assisting: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Michael Blanton, Tim Rymer, Anne Shaffer, Terra Hegy, Bob Burkle Consultants: Cynthia Carlstad, Andrea Petzel, and April Magrane – Tetra Tech John Blum – EES Consulting Bob Wheeler – Triangle Associates Jeremy Pratt– Entrix (Intentionally Left Blank) TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.......................................................................................................................1 Intent of the Watershed Planning Process......................................................................3 Goals...................................................................................................................................4 Initiation of Planning........................................................................................................5 Tribal Provisons................................................................................................................6 History of WRIA 19 Planning Process............................................................................6 Perspectives .......................................................................................................................8 Overview of WRIA 19 ....................................................................................................13 Instream Flow Element ..................................................................................................21 Water Quantity Element ................................................................................................54 Water Quality Element...................................................................................................55 Habitat Element ..............................................................................................................60 Plan Recommendations ..................................................................................................68 Supplemental Plan Information ....................................................................................77 Glossary ...........................................................................................................................89 Common Water Terms & Measurements ....................................................................95 Acronyms & Abbreviations ...........................................................................................96 Bibliograpy ......................................................................................................................97 APPENDICES...............................................................................................................103 APPENDIX 1: Chapter 90.82 RCW; Watershed Planning .....................................105 APPENDIX 2: Memorandum of Understanding...........................................107 APPENDIX 3: Ground Rules For WRIA 19..................................................115 APPENDIX 4: Intergovernmental Agreement ..............................................119 APPENDIX 5: Public Information & Education Plan ..................................125 APPENDIX 6: Citizen Interviews; Tribal Interviews ...................................127 APPENDIX 7: Crescent Water Association Report......................................137 APPENDIX 8: Instream Flow Study Methods Used in Washington ...........139 APPENDIX A-1: WRIA-Wide Technical Information................................ A-1 APPENDIX B-1: Subbasin Descriptions ........................................................B-1 APPENDIX C-1: Hydrology ........................................................................... C-1 APPENDIX H-1: Habitat And Water Quality Summary Matrices............ H-1 (Intentionally Left Blank) INTRODUCTION The pristine sparkling water of the Lyre River; the gently curving Clallam Bay; the open coastal waters all the way west to the tip of the continent at Tatoosh Island at Neah Bay, these scenic landscapes are part of the Lyre- Hoko watershed for which this document was developed. The watershed provides a livelihood and home for approximately 4,500 people. Water is becoming a critical issue in much of Washington State. A local group has been meeting since 2000 to understand and make recommendations regarding elements that they chose to address: water quality, water quantity, instream flows, habitat, and water storage. Many, many hours and a substantial amount of dollars have gone into this effort. The following sections set the stage for why this work is being done. Included in this report are the group’s final recommendations. What is the purpose of this plan summary? This summary is intended to provide an extremely brief overview of the Lyre-Hoko Watershed Plan for citizens and officials. The full plan is divided into the following key components: Background Watershed Process Plan Elements Plan Recommendations Appendices Why was this plan prepared? This plan was prepared as a result of legislation, passed by the Washington State Legislature in 1998, that authored a planning process. This process provided an opportunity to develop recommendations for local solutions to water conflicts. Who paid for, wrote & approved, and adopted this plan? Grant funds from the Washington Department of Ecology funded the planning process. The plan is intended to reflect local knowledge, interests, and recommendations. The Planning Unit, comprised of local government, business & industry, private landowners, environmental, tribal, and some State agency representatives, drafted the plan with consultant assistance and approved the document. The Clallam County Commissioners are responsible for plan adoption. How will the plan affect me? The plan contains recommendations to local and state government regarding water quality, water quantity, fish habitat, and instream flows. Governmental agencies will consider the recommendations in the plan as regulations and rules are developed. In particular, the Department of Ecology will use recommendations on minimum instream flows to develop rules regarding the future availability of water to new water right applicants. (Existing water rights are not affected.) The recommendations also will be considered when future activities aimed at improving the natural environment are developed. 1 What are some other important plan recommendations that can affect me? Plan recommendations address: Education and public outreach Watershed monitoring Land use Instream flows and groundwater Fish habitat Water quality Climate change Where are the boundaries for the plan located? The planning boundaries are defined by the area encompassed by the Lyre/Hoko Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA 19). This area is located on the Olympic Peninsula, covers 384 square miles, and lies entirely within
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