Watershed planning

Open for public comment

Ecology has completed environmental reviews of the plans under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and is seeking public comment on the SEPA documents from November 5, 2024, through November 21, 2024. You can review the documents on the SEPA register and comment for each watershed below:

Watershed planning under the Streamflow Restoration Act supports local solutions to improve streamflows and secures water for new rural homes.

We collaborated with planning groups in 15 watersheds to develop watershed plans that help enhance streams for fish and offset impacts from new domestic permit-exempt wells. We adopted nine watershed plans and one rule.

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Read watershed draft plans submitted for technical review
Read grant funding information

Watershed draft plans submitted for technical review

Watershed planning continues for five watersheds or Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIA). We prepared final draft watershed plans for WRIAs 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15 and submitted them to the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) for their technical review. We will finalize and adopt the plans in 2024, and initiate rulemaking within six months of plan adoption.

Read our update about these five plans

You can review the five final draft plans sent to the SRFB:

Ecology has completed environmental reviews of the plans under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and is seeking public comment on the SEPA documents from November 5, 2024, through November 21, 2024. You can review the documents on the SEPA register and comment for each watershed below:

Watershed plan implementation for completed plans

Read our assessments for the ten watersheds where planning is complete:

WRIA 1 (Nooksack)	WRIA 11 (Nisqually)	WRIA 49 (Okanogan)
WRIA 9 (Duwamish-Green)	WRIA 12 (Chambers-Clover)	WRIA 55 (Little Spokane)
WRIA 10 (Puyallup-White)	WRIAs 22 and 23 (Chehalis)	WRIA 59 (Colville)

Learn about what happened in the local planning process from 2018 to 2021 in 15 watersheds by opening any of the sections below:

Since a local plan was not adopted, we started rulemaking on Feb. 5, 2019. On May 27, 2020, we adopted an amendment to WAC 173-501 - Instream Resources Protection Program - Nooksack WRIA 1.

WRIA 1 - 2023 Annual Report
WRIA 1 – 2023 Five Year Assessment
WRIA 1 – 2022 Annual Report
WRIA 1 – 2021 Annual Report
WRIA 1 - 2020 Annual Report
To learn more about the updated rule in WRIA 1, visit our Nooksack River basin rule amendment webpage.
To learn more about the rulemaking process, visit our rulemaking webpage.

Ecology will prepare and adopt a watershed plan.
To learn about what happened in the local planning process, see the Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committe page.
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 950 gallons per day as the maximum annual average (350 gallons per day during drought).
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

Ecology will prepare and adopt a watershed plan.
To learn about what happened in the local planning process, see the Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committee page.
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 950 gallons per day as the maximum annual average (350 gallons per day during drought).
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

We adopted the watershed plan on May 11, 2021.

Watershed Plan and Appendices
Technical Review
Recommendation Memo
WRIA 9 Adoption Order
Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committee
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 950 gallons per day as the maximum annual average (350 gallons per day during drought).
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

We adopted the watershed plan on June 14, 2021.

Watershed Plan and Appendices
Technical Review
Recommendation Memo
WRIA 10 Adoption Order
Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committee
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 950 gallons per day as the maximum annual average (350 gallons per day during drought).
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

We adopted a watershed plan addendum on Feb. 1, 2019.

Planning unit documents:
- WRIA 11 (Nisqually Watershed) Annual Report June 1, 2023 - May 31, 2024 (new)
- WRIA 11 (Nisqually Watershed) Annual Report June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2023 (new)
- WRIA 11 (Nisqually Watershed) Annual Report June 1, 2021 - May 31, 2022
- WRIA 11 (Nisqually Watershed) Annual Report June 1, 2020 - May 30, 2021
- WRIA 11 (Nisqually Watershed) Annual Report Feb. 2, 2019 - May 30, 2020
- Plan addendum
  - Plan addendum appendices
  - Plan addendum figures
- Addendum to existing environmental document
Nisqually River Council watershed planning website
Ecology documents:

According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:

Allowed 3,000 gallons per day as the maximum annual average.
Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

We adopted the watershed plan on June 14, 2021.

Watershed Plan and Appendices
Technical Review
Recommendation Memo
WRIA 12 Adoption Order
Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committee
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 950 gallons per day as the maximum annual average (350 gallons per day during drought).
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

Ecology will prepare and adopt a watershed plan.
To learn about what happened in the local planning process, see the Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committee page.
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 950 gallons per day as the maximum annual average (350 gallons per day during drought).
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

Ecology will prepare and adopt a watershed plan.
To learn about what happened in the local planning process, see the Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committee page.
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 950 gallons per day as the maximum annual average (350 gallons per day during drought).
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

Ecology will prepare and adopt a watershed plan.
To learn about what happened in the local planning process, see the Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committee page.
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 950 gallons per day as the maximum annual average (350 gallons per day during drought).
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

We adopted the watershed plan addendum on January 28, 2021.

Planning unit documents:

Ecology documents:

Additional information:

Chehalis Basin Partnership
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 3,000 gallons per day as the maximum annual average.
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

We adopted the watershed plan addendum on January 28, 2021.

Planning unit documents:

Ecology documents:

Additional information:

Chehalis Basin Partnership
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 3,000 gallons per day as the maximum annual average.
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

We adopted the watershed plan addendum on January 28, 2021.

Planning unit documents:

Ecology documents:

Additional information:

Okanogan County watershed planning website
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 3,000 gallons per day as the maximum annual average.
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

We adopted the watershed plan addendum on January 28, 2021

Planning unit documents:

Plan addendum and appendices

Ecology documents:

Additional information:

Spokane County planning webpage
According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:
- Allowed 3,000 gallons per day as the maximum annual average.
- Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

We adopted the watershed plan addendum on June 25, 2020.

Planning unit documents:
- Plan addendum
- Plan addendum appendices (Large file 84MB)
Ecology documents

Stevens County watershed planning website

According to the law, new permit-exempt wells for domestic use in this watershed are:

Allowed 3,000 gallons per day as the maximum annual average.
Subject to a $500 fee for new building permits associated with new household permit-exempt wells. Fees collected by the permitting authority will be used in the local watershed to pay for projects that offset the effects of household wells on streams and fish.

Contact information

Andrew Drapeau
Secretary Senior
WRProjects@ecy.wa.gov
360-688-8928

Watershed planning

Open for public comment

I want to...

Watershed draft plans submitted for technical review

Watershed plan implementation for completed plans

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