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DATE: - - Tuesday, May 21, 2002
TIME: - - 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
LOCATION: - Chehalis Middle School, 1060 SW 20th Street, Chehalis (Directions below)
Note: The Partnership "business" meeting is incorporated into the 4th Study Area meeting so it will be brief.
5:00- Study Area open house begins. Visitors visit "listening posts" and identify water related issues that they think are important in the Chehalis Basin
6:00- Watershed Planning in the Chehalis Basin. Presentation, Questions & Answers
6:30- Short Partnership Business Meeting
Sub-Basin Priorities recommended by the Steering/Technical Committee
Public Involvement Plan developed by the Citizens' Advisory Committee
Update on the contract with Ecology for flow monitoring work
7:00 to 7:30 Resume Open House
8:00- - Adjourn
ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AT THIS MEETING:
Amend/Approve Sub-Basin priority recommendations
Amend/Approve Public Involvement Plan
DIRECTIONS
Chehalis Middle School, 1060 SW 20th Street, Chehalis. Take Exit 76 off of I-5 and turn towards Chehalis on Parkland Drive. At the first stoplight turn right onto Interstate Avenue and follow it until you reach the "T" intersection with Bishop Road. Turn left on Bishop Road. Chehalis Middle School will be on the left off of Bishop Road.
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GENERAL PARTNERSHIP BUSINESS
Introduction
Chairman Spahr welcomed everyone and opened the meeting. Fifteen of the Partnership's thirty-two member organizations had a representative or alternate at the meeting. Twenty-one additional citizens, alternates, or visitors attended.
Citizens' Advisory Committee
The Citizens' Advisory Committee has completed its work on a Public Involvement Plan. Today's Partnership meeting was supposed to include action on the recommended Public Involvement Plan, but since it was not mailed out in the meeting packet for members to review that action was postponed until the May 21 Partnership meeting.
Steering/Technical Committee
The Steering/Technical Committee continues to support the Partnership's work with Triangle Associates/KCM. The focus now is on prioritizing Level 2 Assessment studies intended to gather new information critical to the Partnership's planning process. A summary of the Committee's April 16, 2002 meeting was mailed out with the meeting packet for this Partnership meeting.
Water Quality Sub-Committee
The Water Quality Sub-Committee met on April 22nd to complete work on the local priority setting process for state water quality grants and loans administered by the Department of Ecology. There was one proposal to the state from WRIA 22 so developing the priority list was simple. There were three proposals from WRIA 23 and each project proponent was invited to make a presentation to the committee before the final priority list for WRIA 23 was developed. Copies of the resulting letters of local agreed priority were provided to the Partnership (copies attached).
Other Business
A letter was received from The Western Washington Property Rights and Water Rights Coalition requesting that the Partnership appoint John Penberth as a member to represent its interests. There was general agreement that before such an action could be taken it is necessary to do three things. First the Partnership needs to know more about the objectives of The Western Washington Property Rights and Water Rights Coalition. Second, the Partnership needs to review its Intergovernmental Agreement and existing by-laws to see what they say about appointing new members. Third, since the by-laws are being revised, the committee doing the revision should complete its work on the last chapter - which just happens to address Membership -- and make a recommendation on a process for appointing new members. It was agreed that this work should be completed by the June Partnership meeting so action on the request can be taken.
Note: a quick review of the Chehalis Basin Partnership's Intergovernmental Agreement since the April 26th meeting found that 'Major Interests' are identified as eligible for membership in the Partnership, and goes on to state that members representing these major interests are to be "appointed jointly by the counties and the tribes." The current by-laws refer back to the Intergovernmental Agreement for direction about membership.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Watershed Planning under RCW 90.82
Study Area Meetings: So far three study area meetings have been held and attendance is increasing with each meeting. The next, and final, meeting is scheduled for May 21 at the Chehalis Middle School in Chehalis. Even though an attempt is being made to reach local media (newspapers, radio, television and local newsletters) with our message about the study area meetings it is still important for local citizens to share the word about the meetings with their neighbors in as many ways as possible.
Contract Issues: The current contract with Triangle Associates expires May 1, 2002. The work Triangle Associates has completed under the first contract extension was reviewed and the Lead Agency for the Partnership requested that the Partnership approve an extension of the contract from May 1 through the end of July. The scope of work, further described in Attachment A, provides professional services that focus on continuing the development of the Chehalis Basin Watershed Management Plan and associated activities. The budget for this additional work is shown in attachment "B."
Triangle Associates was selected for this work because it had two strengths - the ability to provide technical support through its partner, TetraTech/KCM, and its ability to provide support for the complex process of finding common ground and reaching agreement. Their ability to act as an independent facilitator has allowed Partnership members to focus on the group discussions rather than trying to manage the meetings. Triangle Associates was selected through a 'Request for Proposals' process that involved review of several proposals from different consultants and actual interviews to select the one we felt would work out best.
The Lead Agency is preparing an advertisement for "Statement of Qualifications" (SOQ) for the remainder of the Phase 2 and Phase 3 work. In a SOQ, companies describe how they are qualified to assist the Partnership with the remaining work.
The Partnership reached consensus agreement to extend the contract with Triangle through July 31 and to move forward with the Statement of Qualifications.
Salmon Recovery
The list of WRIA 22 ad 23 projects that the Salmon Recovery Funding Board proposes to fund has been released. Six projects in the Chehalis Basin will be funded for a total of $592,083. Two of the projects are culvert assessments that will help determine the magnitude of the problem in Lewis and Mason Counties, and set the stage for future projects.
The Salmon Recovery Funding Board Technical Review Panel said that they have been impressed with the salmon habitat work being done in the Chehalis Basin. It appears that the success of the groups competing for salmon recovery dollars is directly related to how well individual projects line up with the priority recovery areas and types of projects identified in a basin's salmon recovery strategy. The Chehalis Basin Salmon Recovery Strategy identified high, medium and low priority sub-basins and prioritized the types of activities that needed to be done in those sub-basins.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Work in the Chehalis Basin
Flood Damage Reduction Project sponsored by Lewis County
The Corps is currently finalizing the Environmental Impact Statement and Engineering Report for the proposed setback levees, modifications to the Skookumchuck Dam and State Route 6 Bridge. The EIS will be reviewed by an independent panel and revised if necessary. The Corps will have a display on the project at the May 21st study area meeting. There will be a meeting June 13 in Montesano to present the EIS and take comments and a formal public hearing on July 9th.
The Washington State Department of Transportation has withdrawn its funding to Lewis County for this project, as well as many other projects across that state, due to the state budget deficit.
There was a general discussion about the role the Partnership can play in this project. It was suggested that the closer the Partnership gets to actually taking a position on issues related to the Flood Damage Reduction Project the more influence it may have on the outcome. For instance, asking if there will be opportunities to coordinate watershed planning with the Flood Damage Reduction Project will result in a formal response from the Corps. With this in mind it was agreed that time would be scheduled during the June or July Partnership meeting for the Partnership to discuss the project and make comments directly to the Corps.
The Corps recognized early on that they could not do an effective ecosystem restoration project in the Chehalis without coordinating with the watershed planning being done by the Partnership. An effort is being made to fund the Ecosystem Restoration Project at the same rate as the Flood Damage Reduction Project because they also need to be coordinated.
Ecosystem Restoration Study sponsored by Grays Harbor County
Grays Harbor County and the Corps are working with Batelle Institute, Ecology and the US Forest Service to develop the outline for a project that would compare current conditions in the basin with conditions prior to settlement by non-Indians. Data on the basin will be put into a database and there is discussion of making that information available over the Web using interactive tools.
There will be a meeting on June 5th in Seattle for tribal, state and federal agencies to determine what they would like to see the project accomplish. A similar meeting for local governments and other local interest groups could be scheduled if there is sufficient interest.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Lee Daneker (EPA Region 10) presented a slide show with the results of the work he has been doing using GIS maps to show generally where water rights are located in the Chehalis Basin and how large the quantity of water represented by those rights is. Lee has been doing this work in support of the Steering/Technical Committee and this is the same presentation that he made to that committee earlier in April. His work shows that, in general, most of the water rights and the greatest quantity of water are located in 'clusters' within the basin. Since the whole purpose of Lee's work has been to portray information taken from complex data sources it would be difficult to provide a detailed review in this summary. An attempt will be made to make the presentation available through on of the Partnership Members' web sites.
OPEN COMMENT
The next meeting of the Chehalis Basin Partnership will be combined with the fourth and last second study area meeting scheduled for May 21st at the Chehalis Middle School in Chehalis.
Decisions
Instructed the group working on developing proposed changes to the by-laws to finish its work by the June Partnership meeting.
Extended the contract with Triangle Associates through July 31, 2002.
Agreed that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should be asked to meet with the Partnership at the June or July meeting to discuss the Flood Damage Reduction Project and take comments from the Partnership on the project.
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The focus of this meeting was selecting which sub-basins would receive priority consideration for Phase 2 Assessment funds. Prior to the meeting several individuals prepared information that was determined to be necessary at the April STC meeting. This information was organized into the following categories: Risk to Fish, Risk to Humans, Flows, Protected Lands, Land Use, and Population. For each sub-basin high, medium and low levels of risk were numerically assigned. The information was sent to Triangle Associates and combined into a spreadsheet to use at this meeting.
Today the STC reviewed all that information, and the outcome, to determine if the results would be useful.
Prior to this meeting agreement was reached that we would complete the prioritization today. There is agreement that the STC members participating in this meeting recognize that even though numerical scores have been assigned based on relative priorities in each category, the relative priorities in each category still relay on the application of best professional judgment based on limited data.
Two prioritization approaches were tried. The first approach used the sum of priority scores for each category for each of the 31 sub-basins individually. The second approach 'lumped' sub-basins based on shared geographic location (for example, the East Fork Satsop, Middle Fork Satsop, Satsop main stem and Decker Creek were all 'lumped' into one system labeled 'Satsop') into sub-basin groups. This 'lumping' reduced the total number of sub-basins that needed to be prioritized from 31 to 16 including Grays Harbor itself. The scores of the individual sub-basins that were 'lumped' into sub-basin groups were averaged to come up with a priority score.
Based on findings, the group rank-ordered the following project clusters of basins for research:
Sub basin # Name
Cluster 1:
5 South Fork Newaukum
6 North Fork Newaukum
7 Newaukum River
8 Saltzer Creek
9 Skookumchuck River
10 Main stem near Chehalis/Centralia
Cluster 2:
21 Wishkah River
22 Hoquiam
Cluster 3:
11 Black River
12 Cedar Creek
13 Chehalis River Middle Reach 2
People felt additional information on Grays Harbor should be developed because so little is known about it and the growth pressures are high. This has to be balanced by the need to prioritize sub-basins with flow issues as the highest priority for the watershed plan.
Based on this recommended set of priorities some alternatives will be developed for the May 21 combined Study Area 4/Chehalis Basin Partnership business meeting that outline how Level 2 Assessment can be implemented in the highest-ranking cluster of basins.
In-Stream Flow Monitoring
Triangle Associates - TetraTech/KcM revised the scope of work for the in-stream flow monitoring and follow-up work. There are 31 regulatory control stations. Ecology has enough data to develop hydrographs at 16 sites. The original proposal would have developed data to develop hydrographs at 10 of the 15 remaining sites. The new proposal covers all 15 sites but costs more. The group discussed the costs of using continuous flow data vs. using staff gages. Based on the need for quality data the group agreed that installing automatic recording flow gages instead of using staff gages monitored by volunteers was worth the additional cost. It is imperative that work begin as soon as possible to collect the needed data over the summer. On behalf of Grays Harbor County acting in its role as Lead Agency will request that Ecology authorize KCM to begin this work before the contract is signed.
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The Chehalis Basin Watershed Planning public involvement program is designed to keep citizens and stakeholder groups informed about the progress of the effort and provide opportunities for input. The purpose of this public involvement strategy is to serve as a roadmap for conducting public outreach. Its intent is to ensure that consistent, focused messages are used throughout the Basin and that interested members of the public have opportunities to be involved at timely junctures. This two-way communication will educate residents about the watershed planning process and give them opportunities to shape a successful outcome, thereby helping to garner support for eventual implementation of the collaboratively developed plan.
I. BACKGROUND TO THE PLAN
The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Chehalis Basin Partnership (CBP) has worked in the past to identify tools, principles, and goals for public involvement in watershed planning for the Chehalis Basin. Triangle Associates met with the CAC in October 2001 and is working with them to crystallize these elements into a specific, targeted plan for outreach and involvement of Chehalis Basin citizens in the watershed planning effort. This plan presents the details.
II. GOALS OF THE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN
Create awareness of watershed planning and how it affects individuals and groups
Provide citizens and policy makers with consistent, accurate information needed to understand the project and how they can be involved
Offer meaningful opportunities - positive engagement with affected citizens - to participate as the planning process proceeds
Establish support for CBP efforts including programs and the funds needed to support them
Ensure that the planning process is open and responsive to public needs and concerns
Invite the support of the public-at-large and elected officials for the project
Gain input from citizens and stakeholders on issues of concern, possible solutions to those issues, and implementation strategies
OBJECTIVES
Provide readily available information, in advance, to interested citizens about the purpose, goals, and results of the project as well as opportunities to participate and offer comments
Solicit real data as well as anecdotal information from local residents about issues or concerns in their areas
Notify citizens about involvement opportunities (i.e. habitat restoration projects) near them
Create understanding of how this project deals with both existing problems as well as provides tools to manage water resources in the future
Show how this Plan and the CBP fit in with other (water and land use) issues
KEY MESSAGES
The Watershed Management Plan will result in
Knowledge of how much water the Chehalis system has and how it is allocated
Recommendations and agreements to ensure sufficient water for people and fish:
Understanding of current water quality conditions and trends
Prioritized actions to improve salmon habitat
Prioritized actions to improve water quality
The CBP will recommend agreements, improvements and acquisitions that are beneficial and cost-effective, and the Plan will provide real projects to solve real problems.
With the understanding that problems differ from the upper Chehalis Basin (e.g. flooding) to the lower Basin (e.g. fish habitat degradation), the recommendations of the Watershed Plan will be tailored to specific areas. Understanding that, projects may
Address flooding issues, including shallow aquifer flooding;
Lead to the development of partnerships for coordinating water projects and efforts;
Identify recommended changes to the Growth Management Act and/or land use requirements in the Chehalis Basin;
Identify how the project works into the bigger, regional, goals;
Lead to better recognition from ground water purveyors of the need to work together, including possibly utilizing interties;
Better address water quality concerns;
Address water conservation;
Increase stormwater recharge;
Address illegal diversions of water;
Suggest the recycling of wastewater;
Improve and protect stream zones;
Identify strategies to improve habitat conditions for aquatic species;
Improve the general public's understanding of water issues in the Chehalis Basin; or
Lead to better monitoring of water quantity and quality in the Chehalis Basin.
PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT/INFORMATION PLAN
Approach
The public involvement plan is based upon recommendations and advice from the CBP Citizens Advisory Committee. The public involvement plan includes specific approaches and methods to inform and educate the public as well as involve the public at key points in the process including:
Phase 2, Stage 1: Local Planning Area meetings to involve citizens and stakeholder groups and gather their input on issues of concern (February-May 2002)
Phase 2, Stage 2: Local Planning Area meetings with field trips to educate citizens on a particular issue and get input on draft issues-solutions matrix (summer-fall 2002)
Phase 3, Stage 3: Multiple approaches to get input on solutions and recommendations and working draft of actual Watershed Plan (2003) as well as to educate and inform citizens of this planning process and its impact on the community.
Phase 4 (implementation), Stage 4: Multiple approaches to maintain community support for Plan recommendations, agreements, and implementation of projects. Continued outreach to keep watershed issues in people's awareness.
Stage 1 (Phase 2 of planning process):
Timing:
February-May 2002
Objective :
Notify the public about the purpose of watershed planning and the issues involved; get input on issues of concern and identify local stakeholder groups.
Audience
Local citizens in each sub-basin
Landowners
Stakeholder groups
General public
Preliminary Key Messages:
We are working to respond to the water-related issues that growth creates. Examples of these include competition for scarce water resources among farmers, fishing interests, and water purveyors; or harm to water quality and wildlife as a result of increased runoff of oil and grease from greater paved acreage.
The mission of the Chehalis Basin Partnership watershed planning effort is: A management plan that will result in effective, economical, and equitable management of the water in the Chehalis Basin to sustain viable and healthy communities and habitat conditions necessary for native fish.
Here are some issues and possible solutions to concerns we have identified.
We need your help to identify other water-related issues, potential solutions, and priorities.
We invite you to learn more - to become a steward of your local environment.
Techniques: (See attached approach)
Local Planning Area meetings (recruitment by CBP members who live/work there)
Listening posts
News release/local media notice
Direct contact with citizens, stakeholder groups (coffee meetings)
Slide show, graphics/photos
Display board: What is the CBP? This board would include a roster with photo + a one-sentence descriptor for each member, plus CBP general mission, meeting info. It could also feature a "local connection" with a member from that Planning Area.
Website?
Products
List of issues
List of stakeholder groups in each sub-basin
Stage 2 (Phases 2-3 of planning process): Continued Citizen Involvement in Watershed Planning
Timing:
Spring 2002-Fall 2003 and beyond
Objectives:
Build on the relationships developed with stakeholder groups and local citizens
Gain input on water resource concerns, (e.g. supply, quality)
Identify level of understanding of issues (e.g. habitat, instream flows) among public, and solutions.
Raise general public awareness of benefits of cooperative watershed planning
Report to CBP
Audience
Affected Property Owners
Stakeholder Groups, such as agriculture, timber, fisheries, etc
Local government policy makers
General Public: raise awareness in cost-effective manner
Key Messages
Water Quantity:
Watershed planning affects you: we all need water to drink. (How much water do we have? Are we keeping it clean?)
Here are the laws that currently exist.
Cooperation and communication in water resource planning will ensure that we have enough clean water to drink for our children.
Here are some concrete examples of what the watershed planning process will produce:
Water Quality: A clear understanding of how much pollution our rivers and streams can handle (TMDL), other key messages identified from technical work
Aquatic resources, esp. Salmon: The "value" and importance of salmon to our region
Recreation: Water resource needs for recreational activities, such as boating, fishing, bird watching
Other? - list of benefits above (pp. 2-3)
Techniques
Targeted local meetings including field trips
Newspaper ads
Coffee meetings
Fact sheet/letter to community/environmental groups with invitation for a briefing
Local talk radio
Update website (?) with photos, matrix of issues and preliminarily identified solutions. Add link to this site on home pages of all involved Counties.
Stakeholder group focus sessions
Video for Local TV Stations, group presentations
Stage 3 (Phase 3 of planning process): Working Relationships with Citizens, Stakeholders, and Local Government Policy Makers through Plan Completion
Timing:
Fall 2002 through Fall 2003 (during Phase 2 Level 2 projects and drafting of initial Plan chapters)
Objectives:
Report on issues, solutions, and agreements between governments (to save water and money!)
Keep citizens and stakeholders (and CBP) updated on Phase 2 Level 2 studies (water balance) and progress of Phase 3 Plan
Maintain/ensure understanding and support of governmental officials with updates.
Preliminary Key Messages:
Your government is working to ensure we have plenty of clean water for our towns and businesses and to keep the fish thriving in the rivers
Here are examples of agreements we are targeting for implementation
Here are projects we are recommending to make sure we have enough water
Here are projects we are recommending to make sure the water is clean
Here are projects we are recommending for habitat improvement
Techniques
Newsletter/fact sheet to stakeholder groups and other interested parties (obtained from meetings, calls, emails, and websites)
Open Houses to targeted areas
Library displays or "drop-in centers with interactive displays" throughout the river basin
Update website with specifics
Reports to public (at open houses) and County Councils
Video
Other from above
Stage 4 (Implementation Phase of planning process): Ongoing Outreach and Funding Acquisition Efforts to Support Plan Implementation
Timing:
Early 2004 onward
Objectives:
Keep citizens and stakeholders (and CBP) aware of water resource issues, progress of implementing Plan recommendations, agreements, and projects
Maintain/ensure understanding and support for implementation of these recommendations, agreements, and projects
Keep government officials cognizant of citizen support for watershed planning
County Public Hearings and Approvals of Watershed Management Plan - Public Involvement
Preliminary Key Messages:
Here is what we are doing to ensure we have plenty of clean water for our towns and businesses and to keep the fish thriving in the rivers
We need your support to make sure government implements our recommendations
Here is what you can do to help make sure there is enough water to go around
Here is what you can do to make sure the water stays clean enough for us and the fish to use
Watershed Management Plan Itself
Techniques
Library displays or "drop-in centers with interactive displays" throughout the river basin
Update website with specifics
Reports to public (at open houses) and County Councils
Video from Evergreen State
Required Public Hearings at County Councils or as combined process
Other from above
The specific techniques to inform and to involve the public are described separately below.
Public Information & Involvement
Approach : Display / Photos / Slide Show
Objectives: - - Provides background education to public at large
Timing: - - Spring 2002 at local Planning Area meetings, available for duration of planning process and beyond
Who: - - WA Departments of Ecology, Fish & Wildlife
Approach : - - Word of Mouth
Objectives: - - Lets people know about Planning Area meetings, Plan development
Timing: - - Spring 2002 for local Planning Area meetings, available for duration of planning process and beyond
Who: - - Chehalis Basin Partnership, local residents
Approach : - - Media Outreach to Inform and Update Citizens
Objective: - - Get folks out to local Planning Area meetings
Timing: - - Spring 2002, Fall 2003 when Plan will need approval
Who: - - Lead Agency (Grays Harbor County), Citizens Advisory Committee
Approach : - - Listening Posts
Objective: - - Obtain comments on issues of concern related to water quantity, quality or habitat + identify "neighborhood" water problems
Timing: - - Spring and Fall 2002, Fall 2003
Who: - - Educational materials provided by state agencies, listening posts staffed by CBP
- -
Approach: - - Project Updates
Objective: - - Provide information about the project to existing organizations for inclusion in their newsletters
Timing: - - Quarterly
Who: - - Lead Agency, Citizens Advisory Committee
Approach: - - Project Fact Sheets/Newsletters (can be inserts in PUD bills)
Objective: - - Provide information about the progress of the Plan or specific agreements, to be used as handouts at briefings, open houses, or provided to other County staff or the County Council.
Timing: - - Prior to each local Study Area meeting, updated as needed.
Who: - - Lead Agency
Approach: - - Newspaper Ads in Local Papers
Objective: - - Provide notice of local Study Area meeting
Timing: - - Prior to local Study Area meeting
Who: - - Lead Agency
Approach : - - A project website that is updated as materials for the project are developed
Objectives: - - Is available 24 hours per day to provide information and to receive input
Timing: - - Created at the outset of the project; updated monthly and as components of the Plan are finalized. Will include topics as developed for media campaign
Who: - - Lead Agency (?)
Approach : - - Video
Objectives: - - Will illustrate Chehalis Basin's water resources and what we can do to protect them
Timing: - - Will be available in 2002 for open houses, displays, community meetings
Who: - - College students
Approach : - - Local talk radio
Objectives: - - Can raise awareness of cooperative approach to water resource management, ongoing projects
Timing: - - Can be used at timely junctures to get the word out about water resource issues
Who: - - CBP members, organized by Lead Agency
Groups to Consider for Briefings, Specific Outreach
Note: This list in not intended to be inclusive. It is merely a brainstorming of ideas.
Rochester Water District
Oyster growers
Cranberry growers
Tree Farmer Owners, Grays Harbor County
Master Builders
Planning Commissions
Farm Bureaus
WA Contract Logger Associations
Audubon and other Environmental Interest Groups
Realtor Association
County Grange (Pomona) Associations
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