YAKIMA, WA – Sept. 10, 2001
Residents of the Entiat Valley in Chelan County are the first in the state to unveil a proposal for how they want to see their water and natural resources managed in the years to come as a result of the state’s Watershed Management Act of 1998.
The law was spearheaded by Gov. Gary Locke and the state Department of Ecology to encourage local communities to create their own visions of how to protect the quality and availability of their water supplies.
“It is important that local communities address crucial, long-term issues regarding their water and habitat,” Locke said. “I believe that citizens closest to the resource can be instrumental in providing viable solutions, and I commend Entiat for taking the initiative on this critical issue.”
“Bringing people together and coming to consensus is not an easy thing, especially when you’re talking about water,” said Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons. “The residents of Entiat have set a statewide precedent by being the first to develop a blueprint for how they want to maintain and improve the Entiat River for generations to come.”
The Entiat River Valley provides prime habitat for threatened and endangered Upper Columbia River salmon and also supports fruit orchards, upon which the valley’s economy is based. People have until the end of the year to comment on the draft Entiat Valley Watershed Study. A final plan will be considered for adoption and implementation by Chelan County commissioners in the fall of 2003.
“We want this to be a living plan, not just a document that sits on the shelf gathering dust,” said Conard Petersen, an Entiat landowner and member of the watershed planning unit. “Our goal is to produce a plan that reflects a balance between existing natural resources and human needs, and allows us to adapt to changing laws and circumstances.”
Landowners and resource agencies first began exploring watershed issues in 1993 when the Entiat Chamber of Commerce initiated a search for local citizens interested in conducting a study of the watershed.
From 1994 to 1998, a landowner steering committee, the Chelan County Conservation District and U.S. Forest Service compiled existing information and collected new information, which led to recommendations for restoring the river channel and streamside areas.
Funding for the ongoing project was secured with the passage of the state’s watershed planning and salmon recovery laws in 1998, which led to the establishment of the Entiat Valley Watershed Planning Unit. The three-phased planning process calls for resource agencies, major water users, tribal entities and local residents to take an inventory of water resources and provide local solutions for protecting those resources for the benefit of people, fisheries and other wildlife.
Copies of the plan are available at the Entiat and Wenatchee public libraries, online at Entiat Watershed Planning or on compact disc (CD). To obtain a CD or more information, or to submit comments on the plan, contact Sarah M. Walker, Entiat watershed assistant project coordinator, at 509-664-0271 or by e-mail at Sarah M. Walker
Media contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, Public Information Manager
509-575-2610,
or pager, 509-574-0490
The 303(d) List of Impaired and Threatened Waterbodies
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The Entiat Valley in Chelan County is the first community in the state to produce a proposal for managing natural and water resources under the state’s landmark Watershed Management Act of 1998.
Watershed planning members say they want the Entiat plan to be a “living document” that balances human needs with those of fish and wildlife. The Entiat Valley provides prime spawning habitat for endangered salmon of the Upper Columbia River.
People will have until the end of the year to comment on the plan, which will be considered for adoption and implementation by Chelan County commissioners in the fall of 2003.
Ecology’s Home Page: Washington State Department of Ecology
