Water Quality Committee Meeting

November 10, 2005

Terry Willis, April Johnson, Nancy Allison, Rick Johnson, Sara Carter, Les Holcomb, David Heimer, Ron Schillinger, and Lee Napier were present.

Terry Willis asked everyone to introduce themselves and their interest to the group. 

Phase IV-Detailed Implementation Plan

Napier gave a brief overview to the group about the Chehalis Basin Partnership and the watershed planning process.

Dave Heimer reviewed the Chehalis Basin Working Group that currently assesses and tries to address noxious and invasive species in the watershed.  The group tries to work together to address problems cooperatively.  He distributed the draft Integrated Aquatic Vegetation Weed Management Plan (IAVMP) for the Chehalis River, draft October 20, 2005. Development of the document was funded through the freshwater aquatic weed program.  This group has an MOU that formalizes their working relationship. 

The group realized that a lot of the DIP work may be outlined in this draft plan.  The real issue today might be to understand the roles of each group and how we can work together. 

The IAVMP does not include Spartina, which may be a bigger issue in Grays Harbor County.  Phragmites is also a potential problem that is very obvious on the bay, ocean shores sign.  Les will be establishing a working group to develop a management plan. 

Dave added that another reason for weed control is to reduce pesticide use, which can be incorrectly used by the average landowner.

The group reviewed the current tasks against the IAVMP. 

• Task 1- Each county has a weed board.  Mason County was not part of this program because they did not have a weed board when the group was organized. 
• Task 2-funding is a limitation.  The mainstem is about 70% mapped over a number of years.  Elodea, loose strife, and Knotweed surveys from the TNC for the Wishkah, Elk, Black and some tributaries, Newaukum, South Fork of Newaukum, mainstem of the Chehalis, and Scatter Creek.   The group would like an interactive website for interested people to be able to click on a site.
• Survey in 2007 is not funded and the work would be determined by the group based on available funding.  Some of this work may include re-surveying areas using similar procedures as to other members.
• The group discussed various ways the representative organizations are funded.  Funding for weed boards include county general funds, Thurston County has an assessment base to help fund the Thurston CD  TNC is dependent upon grants.  What are the other sources for funding?.  There are some standards sources such as DOE, USFWS and then new sources are evolving.  Mitigation funds (TPAC or mitigation banking) could be used as a new source of revenue. 
• Weed Control should be identified as a project in the Corps Ecosystem Restoration Project. 
• Outreach is through the DOW and contacting landowners.
• Weed control is part of salmon habitat restoration and preservation, water quality, and limits recreation. 
• Access to the sites is also a challenge in Thurston County due to a lack of public boat launches. 
• Rick Johnson sees Elodea as a big problem in the mainstem.  This problem is coming close to eliminating access for salmon. 
• The issue of noxious and invasive species should be included in the habitat strategy. 
• TNC intends to survey Scatter Creek for Elodea.  They are also releasing a report at then end of November. 
• Data is stored independently by each stakeholder based on their survey work.  This information does not have a common repository. 
• Sources of funding CP RC&D may be able to take on a leadership role in helping to located and secure funding. 
• Prevent the spreading of weeds through education.
• Permitting is primarily through a blanket system and can include either an HPA or NPDES for control of weeds. This process does prescribe the treatment which many not always work for weed control. 

Closing Comments and December Agenda

Agenda for the next meeting would include: hearing back from Kirk Cook and review and ranking of the water quality grant proposals.

The next meeting is December 8, 2005.