|
On December 17, 2024, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) formally adopted a final Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Plan (Plan) for the Deschutes Watershed (also known as Watershed Resource Inventory Area 13). The Deschutes Plan was one of five watershed plans adopted by Ecology on that date.
The Deschutes Plan was the result of direction by the Legislature in 2018 that similar plans be developed in a number of watersheds across the state, including the Deschutes River watershed. The purpose of such plans was to provide restoration and enhancement of water flows and habitat, and more specifically to provide mitigation for permit-exempt water supply wells that were drilled in the watershed between 2018 and 2038.
DERT was the environmental representative to the WRIA 13 Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committee (WREC) that completed a draft plan in April 2021. Other members included the Squaxin Tribe, local governments, and special purpose districts.The Plan received near-unanimous approval from the WREC, with a single member (the representative from the building industry) objecting to one provision of the draft plan. Per the Legislature's direction, the absence of unanimous approval triggered a review of the draft plan by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (Board) to determine whether the Plan provided a "net ecological benefit" to instream resources in the watershed.
Before forwarding the draft Plan to the Board, Ecology unilaterally made numerous changes to the Plan approved by the WREC. Of particular note was deletion of a chapter of policy recommendations, including a recommendation (unanimously approved by the WREC) to create a Deschutes Watershed Council to pursue implementation of the Plan. The December 17 decision by Ecology states that the proposed projects in the Plan "are well integrated with existing and current watershed protection and restoration efforts and include a robust implementation and adaptive management strategy that clearly indicates local intent to implement the plan." There is no such strategy currently, nor one in the final Plan. For that reason DERT intends to pursue with other parties the creation of Deschutes Watershed Council this year.
Ecology's December action triggers a requirement under state law that the agency begin rule-making for the watershed within six months (i.e., by June), and complete it within two years. Although Ecology's December decision references this requirement, the agency has yet to state what the scope and content of that rule-making will be, or the process.
You can review the five recently adopted plans here.
| 
