WRIA 18 Watershed Plan

Location: Dungeness and Elwha Rivers

Summary: Cardno ENTRIX was engaged to facilitate and develop a Watershed Plan for multiple sub-basins in WRIA 18. Cardno ENTRIX opened a Port Angeles office to support the project with a senior project management, planning, and science team in conducting watershed assessments and preparing Watershed Plans, working in parallel with two Planning Units: the Elwha/Morse Management Team (focusing on the Elwha River, Morse Creek, and nine smaller urban independent drainages), and the Dungeness River Management Team (focusing on the Dungeness River and a dozen smaller independent drainages). The Plans address surface and ground water quantity and quality, stormwater management, salmon recovery and habitat restoration, and instream flows.

Cardno ENTRIX provided both teams with process mapping, neutral facilitation, conflict resolution, and consensus-building, in addition to technical and planning support. Cardno ENTRIX facilitated about 120 meetings of the two North Olympic Peninsula planning units. This three-year process involved more than two dozen stakeholders representing two tribes; an irrigation association of nine member districts and companies; local, state and federal governments; and numerous citizen interest caucuses representing the range from property rights to environmental advocates. Cardno ENTRIX led several community public meetings in each watershed planning area, timed to occur at milestones throughout the watershed planning process.

Stormwater: watershed plan stormwater recommendations focused on the significant costs that unabated runoff imposes on local government, property owners, and fish. Important effects considered included flooding, landslides, alteration of natural flow regimes, conveyance of pollutants and sediments into streams, alteration of channel morphology, and redd scouring. In urban areas, such as Port Angeles, the plan considered storm sewer overflow into streams and harbors. The effect of impervious surfaces on reducing groundwater recharge was also addressed. Desired conditions and outcomes for stormwater included:

• Proper stormwater management to protect stream hydrology and maintain the natural water table.
• Protection of properly functioning ecological conditions for riverbanks, stream channels, riparian vegetation, spawning gravels, and large woody debris
• Reduced pollutant loads to natural streams and the protection of surface and ground water, and the marine nearshore from contamination.
• Treatment of stormwater runoff prior to infiltration.
• A framework for stormwater management at a watershed scale, coordinated among jurisdictions.
• Low Impact Development implemented wherever feasible, as cost-saving and water-friendly incentives and alternatives to regulation.

Recommendations for stormwater focused on:

• Comprehensive stormwater management planning, addressing adaptive management; runoff from highways, County roads, commercial development, federal facilities and tribal lands; combined sewer overflows; discharge from urban drainages
• Management of impervious surfaces in planned development
• Implementation of Low Impact Development through land use regulation, development standards, and the use of stormwater controls, drainage and hydrology as elements in site planning and development
• Capturing stormwater resources
• Irrigation ditch piping, sediment management, and other remediation
• Public education

Water quantity: local and regional water budgets were developed for each subbasin and major water service area. Water use was characterized in the domestic, municipal, agricultural, commercial/industrial, and environmental sectors. Water rights were analyzed, over-appropriated streams were identified, and the availability of water for appropriation was determined. A future water supply strategy and a sustainable plan were developed to meet the needs of both human consumption and environmental protection. The strategy emphasized conservation, the protection of instream flows, irrigation reliability, water reclamation and reuse, public water supply (limiting the proliferation of exempt wells), and the regionalization of public water service in West WRIA 18. It focused on groundwater in East WRIA 18 and explored the establishment and operation of a groundwater reserve. New water storage opportunities were proposed for study.

Water quality: Key water quality issues included including management of septic systems, integration with a Clean Water District, shellfish management, animal-keeping practices, and related groundwater and stormwater issues.

Habitat: Habitat conditions were characterized in depth for the Elwha, Dungeness, and 30 smaller drainages in 8 major subbasins, including Sequim Bay and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Recommendations focused on rural and urban streams, wetlands, riparian corridors, floodplains and flood hazard management.

Other plan elements: The watershed plan also addressed instream flow recommendations, stormwater management, land use and land management in context of watershed planning, public education and outreach, and ongoing watershed management.