Chehalis Basin Partnership Record of Decisions
Need to add anything before December 1997 and find copies of the meeting summaries for any missing months and add that information
December 1997
January 1998
February 1998
March 1998
April 1998
May 1998
June 1998
July 1998
Decisions
Agreement was reached on the final version of the Intergovernmental Agreement.
The Partnership directed Marc Duboiski (Lewis County) and the scoping group to continue meeting and bring a budget proposal for the watershed grant to the next meeting.
A proposal for selecting citizen participation in the Chehalis Basin Partnership was adopted.
August 1998
September 1998
October 1998
November 1998
December 1998
Decisions
The chair was authorized to sign a letter to Governor Locke formerly requesting state agency participation on the Chehalis Basin Partnership.
A subgroup was formed to organize Partnership meetings.
Mayor Spahr was appointed chair of the Chehalis Basin Partnership for the next year. Dr. C.S. Sodhi was appointed vice-chair.
January 1999
February 1999
March 1999
Decisions
Agreement that that it should maintain some flexibility in the 2514 budget allocation between the Level 1 and Level 2 assessments until there is more certainty about the relative costs of each.
Agreement that a major portion of the April meeting be devoted to the topic of the Request for Proposals (RFP) that will be used to solicit for consultant expertise.
April 1999
Decisions
The RFP, with changes based on discussion, was adopted by the Partnership.
The Partnership agreed on a schedule for advertising, compiling, reviewing, scoring and interviewing Level 1 Assessment proposals.
The Partnership agreed on how to advertise the RFP opportunity.
The Partnership agreed to coordinate with Carol Smith on completing the Limiting Factors Analysis for the Chehalis Basin.
May 1999
Decisions
The June meeting of the Partnership was rescheduled for July 9th to accommodate the needs of the panel responsible for developing a recommendation on which consultant to hire for the Level 1 Assessment.
June 1999
The June Partnership meeting was rescheduled to July 9th.
July 9, 1999
Decisions
Agreed that management of information is an important topic and that development of the Level 1 Assessment could provide the momentum to begin developing a system to make information available.
Recommendations
The panel evaluating Level 1 Assessment proposals recommended that four of the nine consultant teams be formerly interviewed. A final recommendation will be made to the Partnership at the July 23 meeting.
Recommended Future Agenda Topics
Review status of the Limiting Factors Analysis
July 23, 1999
Decisions
Confirmed the selection of the Envirovision consultant team to carry out the Level 1 Assessment.
Agreed that Lewis County should take the lead in working with Envirovision to develop a contract scope of work. The Scoping/technical Advisory Committee will review the draft and provide comment.
The Partnership encourages all agencies and representatives of the state to be consistent in supporting the legitimacy of the Chehalis Basin Partnership for all programs where it has been designated ad the lead local entity.
Agreed to request a representative of DOT attend a future meeting to update the Partnership on issues related to the flood control project.
Agreed on a different arrangement of the meeting room so that discussions can be heard by the audience.
Agreed to include an open comment period at the end of Partnership meetings for citizens to comment.
Recommended Future Agenda Topics
DOT discussion of Flood control project issues.
Update on the Partnership budget.
Update on the 2496 Salmon recovery project and efforts to coordinate that project with the Level 1 Assessment effort.
The "S.T.E.P." program that can help small communities meet requirements for wastewater treatment.
Process of prioritizing salmon recovery projects.
August 1999
Decisions
Directed the Scoping Committee to examine options for using salmon recovery grant funds and bring a recommendation to the Partnership at the September meeting.
Directed staff to review previous Partnership meeting summaries and related material to document the decision to provide partial funding for the Chehalis River Council's publication "Drops of Water," work with the CRC to make the funds available, and send a summary of each Partnership meeting to the CRC so the major issues can be included in "Drops of Water."
Rescheduled the November and December Partnership meetings to November 19th and December 17th due to the holidays.
September 1999
Decisions
Formed a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
Directed the TAC to decide who should attend the Level 1 Assessment workshop.
Decided that hiring a formal facilitator for the Level 1 Assessment workshop should not be necessary.
Agreed that the best way to provide staff support for the 2496 Salmon Recovery effort would be For the Lead Entity for the project (Lewis County) to hire a fish biologist.
Agreed that the Partnership should provide comments on the draft funding guidelines released by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.
October 1999
Decisions
A sub-committee of the Partnership members should meet to develop a recommendation on how the Partnership should proceed to identify salmon recovery projects.
Changed the November 19th meeting to December 3rd.
November 1999
The November meeting was rescheduled to December 3rd.
December 3, 1999
Decisions:
Lead Agency
Designated Grays Harbor County to act as 2514 Lead Agency and 2496 Lead Entity on behalf of the Partnership. Lee Hansmann is the Grays Harbor County contact. (Lewis County informed the Partnership that it could no longer carry out the duties at the October 22, 1999 meeting.)
A letter will be sent to Lewis County thanking then for acting as 2514 Lead Agency and 2496 Lead Entity on behalf of the Partnership.
A letter will be sent to Marc Duboiski recognizing his contributions to the successful launching of the Partnership and thanking him for his efforts.
Intergovernmental Agreement - It was suggested that when the Intergovernmental Agreement and by-laws are changed to reflect the change in Lead Agency/Lead Entity that language be included that would allow future amendments to be made by consensus with the change noted in the meeting summary of the meeting where the decision occurred. This way we wouldn't have to go to each individual member to approve the changes and get new signatures on the agreement. There are over 50 signatures on the Intergovernmental Agreement, and obtaining that many signatures each time a change is necessary is impractical.
2514 Level 1 Assessment - the Partnership provided the following guidance to Envirovision (the consultant with the contract for the Level 1 Assessment:
Sub-basins - the Partnership would defer to the technical expertise on the Envirovision team on how to define the sub-basins.
Exempt wells - The Partnership agreed that Envirovision should proceed with a pilot project to characterize the effect of exempt wells on stream flows.
The Lead Agency will work with the TAC to develop a recommendation on where the physical data, maps and documents collected during the Level 1 assessment (and all other phases of the 2514 Watershed Planning) will be housed.
Salmon Recovery Finding - the Partnership agreed that we should take what ever steps are necessary to ensure that local evaluation and ranking of salmon recovery projects will occur in time to submit a project list to the SRF Board by the January 31, 2000 deadline for the Early 2000 funding cycle. Grays Harbor County will work with the TAC to complete the details.
Data Management and Accessibility - the Partnership endorsed Mr. Roach's continued work on data issues on behalf of the Partnership.
Chair and Vice-Chair - Agreed that Mayor Spahr from Chehalis should serve as Chair for a second year. Agreed that Dr. C.S. Sodhi from the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation should serve as vice-chair for a second year.
2514 Project Work Plans - The TAC was instructed to look into identifying the key issues that will be addressed during the planning effort as described in the Watershed Guidebook.
Regular December Meeting - The regular December meeting of the Partnership was cancelled.
January 28, 2000
2514 Watershed Planning - Referred issues related to the scope of work for the Level 1 Stage 2 Assessment contract with Envirovision (need for flexibility, clear direction, sticking to the budget) back to the Lead Agency (GH County) with instructions to develop a recommendation for consideration at the February meeting.
2496 Fish Biologist - Agreed that CPRC&D should proceed to hire the most qualified candidate within the budget provided for the 2496 Fish Biologist position.
Salmon Recovery Funding - Accepted the prioritized list of salmon recovery projects presented by the review/ranking committee and Lead Entity.
February 25, 2000
General Instruction - Members would like to receive information in advance of being asked to make a decision so they have time to think about it and discuss it with their respective staff.
2514 Watershed Planning
The 2514 project work plan should include a summary of budget expenses to date.
Time should be set aside regularly at Partnership meetings for a review of the budget and a progress report.
Directed the Lead Agency (GH County) to negotiate a contract with Envirovision for the remainder of the Level 1 Assessment work (Level 1, Stage 2).
State Water Quality Grants - Appointed a sub-committee to recommend how to proceed with the local ranking of water quality projects submitted to Ecology for funding under various grant sources administered by that agency.
Jobs for the Environment - Agreed to provide a letter of support to CPRC&D for its Jobs for the Environment Application. Also agreed to provide a letter of support for any qualified group from the upper basin (WRIA 23) that decides to submit a JFE application.
March 24, 2000
2514 Project Work Plans - The Partnership agreed that having a Project Work Plan was very useful and that the TAC should continue to work on it.
Water Quality Funding - Agreed that local ranking of water quality projects submitted to Ecology should be done so that the projects benefit from the additional points they could receive. Appointed a sub-committee of six people to carry out the ranking and report the results back to the Partnership in April.
Agreed that the chair of the Partnership should sign the letter to Ecology submitting the locally ranked project list so we can meet the April 14 deadline. A copy of the local priority list should be sent to all grant applicants and the five required entities identified in Ecology's guidance.
Data Management and Accessibility - the Partnership agreed to become formally involved with the Data Framework process. Mr. J. Roach will be the primary Partnership contact.
April 28, 2000
Decisions
Grays Harbor County acting as lead agency for the Partnership should apply for 2514 watershed planning Phase 3 funding.
Notes
The contract with Envirovision for the Level 1 assessment has been signed.
The recommendation that the Partnership look for options to fund full-time staff that could manage Partnership activities and look out for Partnership interests on a daily basis was discussed but no agreement was reached.
The Water Quality Grants and Loans letters of agreed priority for both the upper basin and the lower basin were signed by the chair of the Partnership and submitted to Ecology by the April 14th deadline.
Future Agenda Topic Suggestions
A presentation on Land Trusts
May 26, 2000
Decisions
J. Roach was nominated to sit on the Lead Entity League. Brian Shea and Lonnie Crumley were nominated as alternates.
The Partnership should find out more about the mission of Water Conservancy Boards before making comments on any proposed actions of the Thurston County Water Conservancy Board. There seems to be some overlap in water interests.
Notes
During discussion it is clear that there is a great degree of anxiety about the state's (Department of Ecology) power to regulate water use. Reservations were expressed about possible manipulation of local planning units like the Chehalis Basin Partnership to achieve state (Ecology) objectives regarding water use.
The Ecology representative to the Partnership assured the group that the Department of Ecology is committed to participating in local planning groups to achieve the objectives of the Watershed Planning Act of 1998 (90.82 RCW, ESHB 2514). Ecology is a member of this Partnership to help the Partnership accomplish the work spelled out in the Watershed Planning Act, not to direct the Partnership or to do the work for the Partnership.
The Chair of the Partnership reminded the members that comments made during Partnership meetings are an indication that various members do, from time-to-time, have problems with agency decisions. These comments are not directed towards the specific individuals representing these agencies on the Partnership.
Future Agenda Topic Suggestions
WDFW should attend the next meeting (June 2000) to explain its criteria for projects to remove fish blockages.
Invite the Thurston County Water Conservancy Board to the June 2000 meeting to share information on its mission and activities.
Presentations on Washington State water law.
June 23, 2000
Decisions
Reached agreement that we want to be kept informed about applications for transfer/change in use within the Chehalis Basin. The Partnership is not currently set up to consider or comment on WCB applications. We will not comment on the current application, but we may choose to develop a process to comment on future applications.
Notes
The Partnership needs to start thinking about establishing a basin Library for electronic data, maps, and paper documents. (CAC)
Future Agenda Topic Suggestions
A presentation will be scheduled on the 4d rule for Bull Trout that will apply to the Chehalis Basin in the near future. USFWS will be asked to explain the current status of the 4d rule being developed for Bull Trout and how the Bull Trout 4d rule USFWS develops will compare to the NMFS 4d rule for west coast salmon and steelhead.
July 28, 2000
Decisions
The members of the Partnership present reached consensus that it would be a good idea to support WDFW funding to implement the EDT process in the Chehalis Basin and approach other funding sources for the portion WDFW doesn't have the resources to fund. Kahle will work with Mayor Spahr to generate a letter from the Partnership to WDFW expressing this support.
Chairman Spahr: Are we agreed that if the CBFTF contacts Grays Harbor County (administrative Lead Entity for the CBP) and tells them that they have decided to change their position and agree to having the CBP to go forward and support solicitation, evaluation and ranking of salmon recovery projects for the Late 2000 salmon recovery funding cycle that we have reached consensus on this issue? Is that consensus?
Notes
Follow-Up Question and Discussion: How did the Partnership decide on the consensus model for decision making?
John Penberth explained that the original group that came together to form the Partnership negotiated the Intergovernmental Agreement. The Quinault Tribe would not agree to sign the agreement unless decision making was done through the consensus process. Brian Shea added that the Partnership was formed with the intent of not being another governmental or bureaucratic process, so consensus is consistent with our goals. Mayor Spahr said that the intent of the Partnership in adopting consensus was to work through issues, not to adopt a decision making model that would allow one person or group to prevent reaching a decision. John Sims added that the intent of the consensus process is to ensure that the view of the minority is not minimized, often answers that better meet the needs of the group come from the minority view. Hang-ups during the consensus process can lead to innovative solutions. John Penberth finished the discussion with the observation that just because the group can't reach agreement in one or two meetings doesn't mean the consensus process stops. It can continue over time. What complicates things is that decisions are often driven by calendar deadlines. That reality puts additional pressure on using consensus to make decisions.
August 25, 2000
Decisions
Authorized the Technical Advisory Committee to compose a letter to area legislators recommending that a legislative caucus be established for the Chehalis Basin similar to the Coastal Caucus. (This letter was an action item recommended by the June 28, 2000 Strategic Planning workshop)
Appointed representatives from the City of Aberdeen to chair a sub-committee to be responsible for the development of a communication plan. The subcommittee will look to Partnership members and state agency caucus members for support to accomplish this effort. (This letter was an action item recommended by the June 28, 2000 Strategic Planning workshop)
Approved sending a letter to the chairman of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board thanking the SRF Board for establishing the Technical Panel and scheduling meetings between the Technical panel and local entities involved in salmon recovery prior to the Late 2000 SRF funding cycle.
Changed the September meeting date from the fourth Friday of the Month (the 27th) to the last Friday of the Month (the 29th) to give the Salmon Recovery Project review panel time to complete project review and prepare a recommended project priority list. (This action is in response to the need to complete project review and obtain CBP approval of the priority list prior to the October deadline for submittal to the SRF Board.)
Approved sending a letter to the Water Conservancy Board of Thurston County thanking them for the opportunity to comment on a proposed change in use and transfer of location. The letter will convey that we appreciate the chance to comment but that we are not able to provide comment at this time.
Agreed that future letters from Water Conservancy Boards in the basin should be routed to all interested Partnership members so they can evaluate the proposed changes and prepare responses.
September 29, 2000
Decisions
Approved the priority list of salmon recovery projects developed by the Lead Entity for the Chehalis Basin (Grays Harbor County).
Strategic and Project Planning - Only one person responded to the advertisement approved at the August CBP meeting. A sub-committee was set up to work with the Lead Agency (Grays Harbor County) to review the proposal and report back to the Partnership at the October meeting.
Notes
The Citizens' Advisory Committee requested that a basin map be brought to each Partnership meeting so people can check the location of activities that are talked about at the meeting if they wish.
Due to holidays and other conflicts the remaining meeting for 2000 will be on October 27, November 17, and December 15.
A request was made that someone look into whether private citizens who are participating in special committees for the Partnership can be reimbursed for mileage.
October 27, 2000
No decisions were made or recommendations adopted according to the meeting summary.
November 17, 2000
Decisions
The January SRF Board meeting falls on the same day as the January Partnership meeting is scheduled so Grays Harbor County's request that the January 2001 Partnership meeting be held on February 2 was approved.
Due to the Christmas holidays the December meeting of the Partnership was changed from the fourth Friday of December to December 15.
Notes
A sub-committee was set up to review the by-laws, evaluate how they are working and make recommendations on changes that may be needed. There is no intent to modify the consensus-based decision making process that has been adopted by the Partnership.
The chair suggested that a letter be sent to Partnership members who have not been attending asking them to reconsider their role. If they are not able to attend they should consider delegating an alternate. The Lead Agency (Grays Harbor County) agreed to prepare a letter.
The meeting of initiating governments being scheduled is not an attempt to restructure the Chehalis Basin Partnership or how we do business.
Bob Spahr was nominated to serve another term as Chair of the Partnership and Dr. C.S. Sodhi were nominated to serve another term as Vice-Chair. Confirmation will occur at the December meeting.
December 15, 2000
Decisions
The Partnership agreed by consensus that Bob Spahr, Mayor of Chehalis will serve another one-year term as Chair of the Partnership and Dr. C.S. Sodhi, Director of the Chehalis Tribe Department of Natural Resources will serve another one-year term as Vice-Chair.
It was generally agreed that the Chehalis Basin Partnership was originally formed in December of 1997 as the Chehalis Basin Council to coordinate basin-wide issues such as flooding. Water quality, river flow, and salmon habitat. Naming an executive committee made up of the initiating governments may not be the best approach because the Partnership already exists as the coordinating body.
Future Agenda Topics
It was agree that some time should be devoted at subsequent meetings to reviewing the history of the Chehalis Basin Partnership, its organizational structure, and responsibilities. Perhaps this could be done as part of the effort to review and update the by-laws.
There was a request for an update on the revised Temperature TMDL for the upper Chehalis Basin.
Notes
In response to a question about coordination between Ecology and the Partnership on TMDL projects, Dave Rountry, Ecology's TMDL lead for the Chehalis Basin, said he thinks it would be great if the Partnership took a more formal role in Chehalis Basin TMDL activities.
There was a formal request by one of the Partnership members that Dave Rountry and Kahle Jennings meet to discuss and suggest ways of integrating Ecology's work on the Grays Harbor Fecal Coliform TMDL with the Partnership.
January 2001
Decisions
The January Partnership meeting was rescheduled for February 3.
February 2, 2001 (this is the re-scheduled January Partnership meeting)
Decisions
The by-law review committee presented a letter to USFWS identifying important reasons that the vacant coordinator position for the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Restoration Program be filled as soon as possible. The letter was read to the Partnership and it was agreed that the chair should sign the letter.
It was agreed that the way the Water Quality Grant and Loan funding rule is written, not doing the local prioritization would penalize local projects. The Partnership should move forward to carry out the local prioritization with the understanding that the process we used for the last two years needs to be reviewed, and possibly modified in its approach.
The Lead entity (Grays Harbor County) was directed to prepare and send a letter to the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation thanking them for listening to local salmon recovery project proponents after the first round of SRF Board grants. The letter should point out that it was particularly helpful to have the SRF Board Technical Review Panel visit each basin and meet with local groups before the application process to provide guidance.
Notes
The CAC recommended that a large basin map be brought to each Partnership meeting for reference when special projects are discussed.
SRF Board Funding - The Lead Entity (Grays Harbor County) has assumed that we would continue using a process that combines review of individual projects by a technical panel, with a subsequent review by citizens to balance habitat and social needs. (Members of the Partnership serve in each of those capacities, with the Partnership filling the citizens' review role)
It was suggested that the Partnership see if there is any way that it can help coordinate resources for project applications being prepared by individuals. Often they don't have all the resources or connections that organized groups do. Dr. Sodhi indicated that the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force could take on that role.
Future Agenda items
Governor Locke has retained Jim Waldo as his special assistant on water issues for this legislative session. It was suggested that an effort be made to see if Mr. Waldo can come and talk to the Partnership about the Governor's Legislative agenda for water.
February 23, 2001
Decisions
Chair of the Partnership was authorized to sign letter of local agreed priority for Water Quality Grants and Loans.
Agreed that the Lead Agency (Grays Harbor County) and Technical Advisory Committee should develop a draft SOQ or RFP to bring to the Partnership in March. The decision of how the consultant or consulting firm will be selected will be held until after the decision to move forward has been made.
March 2001
Decisions
The Partnership approved the draft Request for Proposals for a consultant to help the Partnership determine the scope of our Watershed Plan. This is for a short-term contract that will go through approximately September. It could possibly be extended to include work on the plan if the Partnership is comfortable with the initial work of the consultant.
The Partnership approved the request of the Lead Entity for salmon recovery (Grays Harbor County) to draft a grant proposal for support to continue the salmon recovery work.
Notes
Kahle Jennings, Ecology's representative to the Partnership said he would check on the status of the process of changing the state Water Quality Standards and include the information in the meeting packet for the April 27 meeting.
The Partnership delegated the responsibility of signing the letter of local agreed priority for water quality grants and loans to the Chair.
The Level 1 Assessment of existing information on water rights, flow, water quality and fish habitat has been completed.
The reason for initiating phase 3 before phase 2 has been completed is fairly simple. The Level 1 Assessment just completed identified a lot of gaps in the information needed to develop a plan to manage water quantity, water quality, and habitat. There are many more information gaps than can be filled with the limited amount of Phase 2 funds that remain. By developing the outline of what will be in the Phase 3 plan now, we can use that information to prioritize which data gaps are the most.
Future Agenda Items
Presentation by the Department of Ecology on the proposed changes to the state Water Quality Standards and the implications for TMDLs.
April 27, 2001
Decisions
The Annual Plan of Work for the Chehalis Basin Partnership was approved subject to the following changes:
The expected completion dates for specific elements of special projects need to be incorporated into the Annual Plan of Work.
The Annual Plan of Work must include provisions to indicate which elements have been completed and changes that are made during the year.
Regular monthly updates to the Partnership need to be incorporated.
Agreed that the two salmon recovery prioritization goals (biological diversity based on the number of fish species/stocks present and sub-basins with the most fish habitat potential based on fish miles) are appropriate.
Notes
This list of advisory group members for the Grays Harbor Fecal Coliform Bacteria TMDL includes some people who sit on the Partnership. This might be seen as some as a full endorsement of the results and the process used to get there. Local governments still have much to learn about this study ad the outcome. Since many of the actions identified as necessary to control fecal coliform bacteria in the basin will fall to local government, more work needs to be done to explain it to them and obtain their endorsement.
May 2001
Decisions
Approved the selection of Triangle Associates as the firm that will work with the Partnership on developing the scope for our Phase 3 watershed plan.
Approved Grays Harbor County's request for authorization to develop a contract with Triangle Associates for work on the Phase 3 watershed plan.
Mark Swartout was appointed the new chair of the Technical Advisory Committee.
Notes
Grays Harbor County staff commented that the Humptulips Temperature TMDL caught them by surprise and the County encourages Ecology to integrate TMDL planning into the regular Partnership process and meeting agendas.
Recommended future Agenda Items
Department of Ecology presentation on the provisions of the revised Shorelines Management Act Regulations and a presentation by the Counties that have joined the lawsuit against the Department of Ecology over the revised Shoreline Management Act Regulations to explain their position on the regulations that led to the lawsuit.
June 2001
Decisions
Approved additions and modifications to the Annual Plan of Work that will be reflected in the version sent out with the July 27th meeting packet.
A letter should be sent to Carol Smith and the Conservation Commission thanking her for her excellent work under difficult conditions.
Web sites that provide information related to the work of the Partnership should be listed somewhere on the meeting agendas.
Recommendations
Ecology should hold a second public review and comment period in the fall when the revised Grays Harbor Fecal Coliform Bacteria TMDL is available.
Several additions or changes to the draft operating procedures were recommended.
The Lead Agency should contact the Grays Harbor Water District and the Boistfort Water District to arrange for discussions about their involvement with the Chehalis Basin Partnership.
A meeting of the attorneys of the Initiating Governments be organized so that a discussion about the legal concerns related to managing water in the Chehalis Basin can begin
Future Agenda Items
A report on the summer flow monitoring study.
A presentation on the Humptulips temperature TMDL
Notes
Meeting notices are currently published in the Aberdeen World and paid for by the City of Aberdeen.
July 2001
Decisions
The salmon habitat projects proposed for funding by the USFWS in federal FY 2001 should be funded.
Recommendations
Adding a member representing labor and a member representing the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium should be evaluated as part of the revision of the by-laws.
Future Agenda Items
A report on the summer flow monitoring study.
A presentation on the Humptulips temperature TMDL
Notes
The Partnership expressed gratitude to the Citizens' Advisory Committee for its work on the brochure. It is a very good product and will be useful.
August 2001
Decisions
The Partnership reached consensus on a mission statement for the Chehalis Basin Watershed Plan
September 2001
Decisions
Approved the scope/outline for the Phase 3 Watershed plan.
Approved the goals and objectives for the Phase 3 Watershed plan.
Approved use of the "Next Steps" document to guide the watershed planning effort for the next six months.
Directed the Lead agency and Steering/Technical Committee to review a draft scope of work from Triangle Associates on continued support for the Phase 3 watershed planning effort and Phase 2 Assessment of required but unavailable technical information.
Future Agenda Items
The Partnership will review the draft scope of work from Triangle Associates on continued support for the Phase 3 watershed planning effort and Phase 2 Assessment of required but unavailable technical information at its October 26, 2001 meeting.
October 2001
Decisions
The Partnership concurred with having Ecology compile the information and develop an estimate of water rights, permit, claims, etc. for the whole Chehalis Basin.
The contract with Triangle Associates/TetraTech-KCM for the next steps of the watershed planning effort should be extended through April/May 2002.
The Partnership agreed by consensus that the Salmon Recovery Project priority list presented at the October 26th meeting should be used as presented to prepare the application.
Recommendations
The Partnership agreed that it makes sense to form a Water Quality subcommittee but referred the issue back to the Steering/Technical committee for further evaluation.
The "Flood Control Projects" heading on the agenda should be changed to more accurately reflect the variety of projects that are being done.
Future Agenda Items
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presentation on the Chehalis River Basin Ecosystem Restoration Study (November)
November 2001
Decisions
The Partnership agreed to submit a letter of intent to Ecology before the December 1st deadline regarding our desire to pursue supplemental funding for working on the issue of instream flows.
The Partnership appointed Bob Spahr as Chair and Dr. C.S. Sodhi as Vice Chair for 2002.
The Partnership agreed to move forward with planning for the four study area meetings in early 2002
The Partnership agreed with the approach to the four study area meetings.
The Partnership accepted the Steering/Technical Committee's recommendation on how to approach including the Grays Harbor estuary in the watershed plan.
December 2001
Decisions
Approved the 2002 Annual Plan of Work
Agreed to provide a letter supporting the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force request to the SRF Board for a one-time grant of 1.4 million to replace federal funds that were cut.
January 2002
Decisions
None noted
Recommendations
Partnership members should be paying attention to proposed changes in the state water quality standards.
The Partnership should contact DOT about the Uniform Environmental Reporting System to explore if it could be useful in helping the Partnership track multiple projects that are ongoing in the basin.
Future Presentations
Proposed changes to the state Water Quality Standards
How water quality monitoring relates to the water quality standards, 303d list of impaired waters and salmon recovery.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and the Forest Reserve Enhancement Program (FREP).
Other
Terry Willis was appointed by Grays Harbor County Commissioners to be a member of the Chehalis Basin Partnership representing county citizens.
The Partnership should consider working with local governments on their updates to critical area ordinances under the Growth Management Act.
Consider working with other Local Planning Units to set up a joint meeting in the fall to look at funding issues and legislative proposals related to watershed plan implementation.
February 2002
Decisions
Agreed to form a separate Water Quality Sub-Committee.
The Steering/Technical Committee should look at options for how the work would be done and make a recommendation to the Partnership at the March meeting.
Concurred with the USFWS proposed list of salmon habitat restoration projects.
NOTE: Although it is not recorded as a decision, the meeting summary includes a statement regarding the Detailed Summary of the Level I Assessment that due to the cost of printing documents with a lot of color charts the current approach is to post it on the web in electronic form that can be downloaded and printed by anyone who wants to do so.
March 2002
Decisions
Approved the detailed summary of the Level 1 Assessment.
Approved extending the contract with Triangle-TetraTech/KCM to include the flow monitoring and analysis work described in the proposal to Ecology.
Directed the Water Quality Sub-Committee to develop a local priority list for state fiscal year 2003 water quality grants and loans, and authorized the Chair of the Partnership to sign the letter of agreed priority and report the results back to the full Partnership at the April meeting.
April 2002
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.
May 2002
Decisions
Approved the sub-basin approach and three highest priority areas for beginning the Level 2 Assessment.
Approved the Public Involvement Plan developed by the Citizens' Advisory Committee. There is the perception on the part of some that the Partnership is some kind of legislative body. It is not. The Partnership is not making new law and this public involvement plan should help communicate what the Partnership is actually doing.
June 2002
Decisions
The Lead Agency for watershed planning in the Chehalis Basin (Grays Harbor County) should check with the Chehalis Tribe regarding availability of the Lucky Eagle Casino for future meetings now that the renovation is complete.
Working with the Steering/Technical Committee, the Lead Agency should develop a draft scope of work with Triangle Associates -TetraTech/KCM for the remainder of the 90.82 watershed planning work.
Recommendations
Confirm the Partnership and County roles in the 90.82 watershed plan approval process
Seek clarification on the role of counties with territory in the Chehalis Basin that have opted out of the planning process in final plan adoption.
Work on revising the by-laws needs to be completed with special emphasis on the section on "membership."
July 2002
Decisions
The Lead Agency for watershed planning in the Chehalis Basin (Grays Harbor County) will send a letter to the Department of Ecology requesting that the agency include the Partnership's input when considering changes in water quality standards and other issues that could impact the Partnership's watershed plan.
The contract with Triangle Associates will be amended to include development of the Phase 3 Watershed Plan.
Triangle will develop project proposals for supplemental grant funding for additional work on water quality and evaluation of the potential for multipurpose storage projects in the Chehalis Basin for consideration at the August 23 Partnership meeting.
August 2002
Decisions
Grays Harbor County will set up a meeting to organize the Water Quality Committee prior to September 18th and provide both a point of contact and some coordination support for Water Quality Committee meetings.
Terry Willis agreed to Chair the Water Quality Committee.
An overview of TMDLs in the Chehalis Basin will be scheduled for September 18th.
Authorized the STC to make minor corrections to the water quantity evaluation proposal based on its discussion of questions that have been raised
Agreed to review the operating procedures and take action on them in October.
Recommendations
Salmon Recovery Project proposals should be ranked first for their technical strengths and then their capacity to meet social objectives should be added as extra credit.
State activities that may affect local watershed planning should be identified and tracked for the Partnership.
September 2002
Decisions
A letter should be drafted for legislators explaining the potential hardship that RCW 90.82 will place on counties with very small territories in a planning area.
Each county with territory in the Chehalis Basin planning area should be contacted to verify that they are comfortable with the planning process and their level of involvement.
Agreed to provide $3,000 so that a watershed data CD similar to the one published for WRIA 22 can be published for WRIA 23.
October 2002
Decisions
Bob Spahr was nominated for Chair and Jon Hare was nominated for the position of Vice-Chair.
Changes to sections 5.3 of the draft Operating Procedures were agreed upon.
Agreed that Grays Harbor County should prepare a letter from the Partnership to key governmental representatives on the issue of county's with small land areas participation in watershed plan approval.
Approved the prioritized list of SRF Board funding applications.
November 2002
Decisions
Agreed to send a letter to EPA commenting on the draft temperature guidance.
Bob Spahr was appointed Chair and Jon Hare was appointed for the position of Vice-Chair.
Agreed that the draft of section 5.4 of the Operating Procedures needs additional work.
Approved in concept the scopes of work for the supplemental water quality and multipurpose storage grant-funded projects.
Agreed that the STC should proceed with the development of Issue Papers.
December 2002
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