An official website of the State of Washington

Government building

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Lock

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Menu
Submenu
Water & Shorelines > Shoreline & coasts > Shoreline management > State-approved SMP list > Coulee Dam

Coulee Dam shoreline master program: comprehensive update & periodic review

On Nov. 3, 2025, we approved the town of Coulee Dam’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP) comprehensive update and periodic review. Per RCW 90.58.090, the effective date of the Coulee Dam SMP is Nov. 17, 2025, 14 days after we provided notice to the Town that their SMP was approved.

We held a public comment period for the Coulee Dam SMP from April 15 to May 15, 2024. We used mail and email to notify those who had expressed prior interest. We received one comment from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.  Their comment requested that the Town insert additional references for geologically hazardous areas.    

The Town has submitted their SMP to us for review and approval. The Town has never had an approved SMP. The submitted SMP is intended to satisfy both the statutory requirements of RCW 90.58.080(2)(a)(iv) to develop the Town’s SMP, and the Town’s obligation to do a periodic review, pursuant to RCW 90.58.080(4)(b)(iii). The submittal is intended to comply with the Shoreline Management Act (SMA) and the SMP Guidelines (Guidelines) at Part III of Chapter 173-26 WAC.

Coulee Dam is a small Town along the Columbia River, a shoreline of statewide significance, located in Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan Counties. The Town is located on both sides of the river immediately downstream of its namesake, the Grand Coulee Dam. The Okanogan County portion is located within the Colville Indian Reservation. The Town only has about 53 acres of shoreline with two shoreline reaches delineated as the shoreline jurisdictional area: one on each side of the river. Shoreline jurisdiction extends 200 feet from the ordinary high-water mark. The ecological functionality of the two shoreline reaches is highly impaired as it consists of mostly rock-armoring. The Bureau of Reclamation owns the major portion of the shoreline.

Documents related to approval

Appeals

  • Per RCW 90.58.190(3) an interested party may file an appeal with the Shoreline Hearings Board within 30 days of the publication date of our written notice of final action.

  • We plan to publish the notice of final action in the Star legal ads on December 3, 2025.