[http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/sited/story/html/227367]

State official vows to weigh economy in new water rules

By Jeff Chew

Peninsula Daily News

PORT TOWNSEND - A state Department of Ecology official vowed Tuesday to work

with Jefferson County businesses and residents to strike a balance between

the county's economy and the need for water to sustain salmon habitat.

Joe Stohr, special assistant to Ecology Director Jay
Manning, met for the

first time this year with the Watershed Resource Inventory Area 17 planning

unit at the Jefferson County Courthouse.

Stohr said the plan is to get the county back on
track regarding Ecology's

proposed instream flow rule.

Stohr said he envisions a 10 to 15 person planning
unit that could work

through June 2007 to write a new instream flow rule
for Jefferson County,

all the while moving "in a thoughtful way."

The controversial rule's intent is to ensure enough water for humans and

stream levels that protect salmon.

Jefferson County Commissioner David Sullivan, D-Cape George, facilitated the

meeting before about 20 people in the commissioners' chambers.

Audience members included representatives of agriculture, real estate and

building interests.

Manning, encouraged by North Olympic Peninsula 24th District Reps. Lynn

Kessler, D-Hoquiam, and Jim Buck, R-Joyce, and 24th District Senator Jim

Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, enlisted Stohr late last year to
work with concerned

county residents.

The legislators' district includes Jefferson and Clallam counties.

Those residents, most of more than 300 at a Fort Worden Commons public

forum, protested the proposed instream flow rule,
many saying they fear the

loss of future water rights and in some cases livelihoods and property

values.

"We want the planning unit to create something that is complementary to
the

flow rule," Stohr said Tuesday afternoon.

"How can we deal with the economy and fish, and find the right
balance?"

Stohr in late 2005 apologized to county residents on
behalf of Ecology,

saying, "We will work to correct any mistakes or inappropriate statements

that disrupted the watershed management effort in WRIA 17."

Examine economic effects

Norm MacLeod, representing Jefferson County-based Olympic Water Users

Association, agreed that the subject of economic effects should be discussed

upfront in the early instream flow rule talks.

Stohr last year called for a new process that builds
on the work done by the

WRIA 17 planning unit and involves all residents in the Quilcene-Snow

watershed.

MacLeod, speaking at the forum last year, proposed forming a water resources

management board in the county to work with Ecology and water and wildlife

interests.

While feelings were mixed Tuesday about the need for a WRIA 17 meeting

facilitator through a $15,000 Ecology grant, a request for proposals was

expected to be advertised for the position.

Dennis Schultz, a farmer representing the Jefferson County Conservation

District, called for full disclosure on the part of each planning unit

volunteer's interests and who could vote on the flow rule.

Bill Graham, Jefferson County Public Utility District resource manager,

asked if an independent contractor could be hired to review the instream

flow proposal "independent of the state or state scientists that may or
may

not have an agenda."

"I'm open to that," Stohr said.

Planning Unit member Nancy Dorgan said that the instream
flow rule would

have to be established before Jefferson County Public Utility District could

pursue its water storage proposals around the Chimacum
Creek watershed.

Sullivan said he thought about "winners and losers" in the process of

establishing an instream flow rule, which proposes
closing water basins and

limiting water consumption.

The WRIA 17 planning unit set a 6 p.m. Jan. 24 meeting, preceded by a

steering committee meeting at 5 p.m. The location is to be determined later.

Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or

[email-masked].

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Please visit our blog at http://wria17.blogspot.com/ for

articles and more information about the WRIA process.

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