KETTLE FALLS  –  The Washington Department of Ecology is seeking public comment on a regional  shoreline master program designed to protect and manage development along  330 miles of stream and lake shoreline in Stevens County and within Kettle Falls, Marcus and Newport.

In 2014, the county and three cities formed the Stevens County Partnership to coordinate the development of a single regional shoreline master program (SMP).

Stevens County adopted its current master program in 1999 while Kettle Falls, Marcus and Northport – with much smaller shoreline areas within their jurisdictions – had not developed SMPs before now.

The regional SMP includes the shoreline areas along 40 lakes and 15 streams, including the popular Lake Roosevelt, Loon and Deer lakes, remote Sheep Creek, and the Colville River, which is bounded by agricultural lands.

For six years, the partnership worked closely with Ecology to navigate the process of developing their locally tailored shoreline program. Ecology provided $625,000 in legislative grants that will help local governments protect and restore the environmental functions of shoreline areas, guide shoreline development and protect access to public waters.

Ecology will accept comments on the regional SMP from Aug. 5 through Sept. 5, 2019. Written comments can be emailed to jeremy.sikes@ecy.wa.gov or mailed to: Jeremy Sikes, Department of Ecology, 4601 N. Monroe, Spokane, WA 99205.

After taking public comments into consideration, Ecology can:

• Approve the shoreline program as is.
• Approve the SMP with recommended changes.
• Send the SMP back to the partnership with required changes.

Once approved, the partnership’s SMP will become part of the overall state program.

Review documents 

• Ecology's website
• Stevens County Land Services Dept., 260 S. Oak St., Colville, WA 99114
• Stevens County Partnership SMP website