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Focus
Phase IV Watershed Planning in the Chehalis Basin
Who is the Chehalis Basin Partnership?
The Chehalis Basin Partnership, a local planning unit initiated under RCW 90.82.040, is actively engaged in watershed management of Water Resource Inventory Areas 22 and 23, also known as the Upper and Lower Chehalis Basin watersheds. The members of the planning unit include cities, counties, tribes, water purveyors, businesses, environmental interests, and citizen representatives in addition to state and federal agency representatives.
What is a Group A Water System?
RCW 90.03.015 Section 4 states '' Municipal water supply purposes'' means a beneficial use of water: (a) For residential purposes through fifteen or more residential service connections or for providing residential use of water for a nonresidential population that is, on average, at least twenty-five people for at least sixty days a year; (b) for governmental or governmental proprietary purposes by a city, town, public utility district, county, sewer district, or water district; or (c) indirectly for the purposes in (a) or (b) of this subsection through the delivery of treated or raw water to a public water system for such use. If water is beneficially used under a water right for the purposes listed in (a), (b), or (c) of this subsection, any other beneficial use of water under the right generally associated with the use of water within a municipality is also for '' municipal water supply purposes,'' including, but not limited to, beneficial use for commercial, industrial, irrigation of parks and open spaces, institutional, landscaping, fire flow, water system maintenance and repair, or related purposes. If a governmental entity holds a water right that is for the purposes listed in (a), (b), or (c) of this subsection, its use of water or its delivery of water for any other beneficial use generally associated with the use of water within a municipality is also for '' municipal water supply purposes,'' including, but not limited to, beneficial use for commercial, industrial, irrigation of parks and open spaces, institutional, landscaping, fire flow, water system maintenance and repair, or related purposes.
Why is the Chehalis Basin Partnership Contacting Group A Water Systems?
Recently, Grays Harbor County, lead agency for the Chehalis Basin Partnership, entered into a grant contract to implement the Chehalis Basin Watershed Management Plan, May 2004. One of the tasks identified in the contract, and state law, requires the County to contact each Group A Water System in the watershed. Additionally each holder of water rights for municipal water supply purposes not currently in use will be asked to participate in the development of the detailed implementation plan. Your water system was identified through Department of Health records as a Group A Water System located in the Chehalis Basin.
How can Group A Water Systems Get Involved?
At this time, the Chehalis Basin Partnership requests your participation in the development of a detailed implementation plan. Your participation may include defining the timelines and milestones of the detailed implementation plan, which is based upon the actions contained in the Chehalis Basin Watershed Management Plan . Your participation may also include addressing RCW 90.82.048 which requires the detailed implementation plan to describe the timelines and milestones for the planned future use of existing water rights for municipal water supply purposes, as defined in RCW 90.03.015, that are inchoate, including how these rights will be used to meet the projected future needs identified in the watershed plan, and how the use of these rights will be addressed when implementing instream flow strategies identified in the watershed plan.
How can Participation Benefit a Group A Water System?
Through active participation, Group A Water Systems could learn more about Chehalis Basin watershed issues that affect the larger group of stakeholders. When updating your water system plans, your knowledge will help you to provide consistency with the Chehalis Basin Plan. Better informed in the decision making process. The implementation work plan cannot obligate your system to anything if you are not a willing participant.
For more information
If your Group A Water System is interested in serving on the work group, would like more information, or would like to receive mailings about this efforts, contact Lee Napier, Grays Harbor County Department of Public Services, 100 W.
Broadway, Suite 31, Montesano, WA 98563. Telephone 1.800.230.1638 extension 435. E-mail Lnapier@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.
To see a copy of the Chehalis Basin Watershed Plan or other related documents go to: http://www.co.grays-harbor.wa.us/info/pub_svcs/ChehalisBasin/Index.html
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