Olympic Water Users Association gears up for water resource management work
Friday, November 4, the interim board of directors for the Olympic Water Users Association (OWUA) filed papers for formal incorporation in Washington state. The Association will now begin working for the interests of water users, beginning with active participation in the ongoing issues with the instream flow rule-making process in Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 17.
The Olympic Water Users Assocation came into being after a vote during a meeting conducted at the Chimcum Grange Hall by more than seventy area citizens deeply concerned by the actions of the Department of Ecology in the process of developing the current draft instream flow rule. The OWUA was formed, in part, because exempt well owners, well drillers, small agricultural producers, and other potentially impacted groups have not previously been represented on the WRIA 17 Planning Unit. According to the rules for the planning unit, voting participation at the table is largely reserved for government entities and stakeholder groups. The meeting participants decided to form that group for all water users.
At some point in the near future, the OWUA will decide whether to apply for voting membership in the WRIA 17 Planning Unit. During the meeting, however, several participants expressed discomfort with the present consensus system used by the planning unit in decision-making.
Recognizing that in WRIA 17 the development of an instream flow rule is separate from the watershed management work being accomplished by the WRIA 17 Planning Unit, the Association is expressing its desire to engage in the development of an instream flow rule that better meets the needs of the watershed's residents and other species of concern. With the growing controversy over the Department of Ecology's current draft rule, the OWUA hopes that the hold placed on the rule-making process will result in the department's willingness to work closely with the Association and other stakeholders and resource bodies to develop a rule tailored to the specific circumstances of WRIA 17 and each of its sub-basins. The Association plans to advocate for active instream flow management solutions working in conjunction with irrigation and other water use best management practices as one of the keys to effective watershed management.
Membership in the OWUA is open to anyone of any age who uses water and wishes to participate in the Association's activities representing water users and helping to manage our water resources. Whether you live in a rural area or an urban location, whether you are on a public water system or a well, and whether you have a sewer connection or use a septic system, you qualify for membership.
The next meeting of the Olympic Water Users Association is tentatively scheduled for November 16, with time and location to be announced.
The Olympic Water Users Assocation came into being after a vote during a meeting conducted at the Chimcum Grange Hall by more than seventy area citizens deeply concerned by the actions of the Department of Ecology in the process of developing the current draft instream flow rule. The OWUA was formed, in part, because exempt well owners, well drillers, small agricultural producers, and other potentially impacted groups have not previously been represented on the WRIA 17 Planning Unit. According to the rules for the planning unit, voting participation at the table is largely reserved for government entities and stakeholder groups. The meeting participants decided to form that group for all water users.
At some point in the near future, the OWUA will decide whether to apply for voting membership in the WRIA 17 Planning Unit. During the meeting, however, several participants expressed discomfort with the present consensus system used by the planning unit in decision-making.
Recognizing that in WRIA 17 the development of an instream flow rule is separate from the watershed management work being accomplished by the WRIA 17 Planning Unit, the Association is expressing its desire to engage in the development of an instream flow rule that better meets the needs of the watershed's residents and other species of concern. With the growing controversy over the Department of Ecology's current draft rule, the OWUA hopes that the hold placed on the rule-making process will result in the department's willingness to work closely with the Association and other stakeholders and resource bodies to develop a rule tailored to the specific circumstances of WRIA 17 and each of its sub-basins. The Association plans to advocate for active instream flow management solutions working in conjunction with irrigation and other water use best management practices as one of the keys to effective watershed management.
Membership in the OWUA is open to anyone of any age who uses water and wishes to participate in the Association's activities representing water users and helping to manage our water resources. Whether you live in a rural area or an urban location, whether you are on a public water system or a well, and whether you have a sewer connection or use a septic system, you qualify for membership.
The next meeting of the Olympic Water Users Association is tentatively scheduled for November 16, with time and location to be announced.
posted by olyfarm @ 4:26 PM
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