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Nationally, conservation districts operate under the general principle that conservation should be led by local citizens. The Spokane Conservation District (SCD) agrees and is working with local citizens, interest groups, and governmental agencies to address water-related issues in each of the four Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIA) in Spokane County. These groups are collectively known as Watershed Implementation Teams (WIT) and work to address the issues caused by population growth, agricultural production, fisheries and water pollution, and develop recommendations for managing water quality and quantity in the basin.
Watershed planning in Washington State is conducted within the framework of the Watershed Management Act (ESHB 214), passed by the Washington State Legislature in 1998. The Act enables local citizens and groups to collaboratively identify and solve water-related issues in each of the 62 WRIAs in the state.
The SCD actively participates in WRIA 55/57 (Little & Middle Spokane River) and WRIA 54 (Lower Spokane River). The SCD is the lead agency of the WRIA 56 (Hangman Creek). The Hangman (also known as Latah) Creek watershed drains approximately 431,000 acres and spans across two states and four counties. The continued degradation of the system and anticipated development over the next 20 years prompted the SCD to initiate a watershed planning process in Hangman Creek.
In 1999 SCD received funds from the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) to constitute a planning unit and develop a scope of work for the planning process. Additional funding was received for a watershed assessment and for the development of a watershed management plan.
The Hangman (Latah) Creek Water Resource Management Plan was completed in late spring 2005 and the SCD is working with area residents and other governmental agencies to implement the recommendations outlined in the plan. The goal of the recommendations is to balance and protect the watershed’s in-stream resources and associated habitat with the economic interests in the water resources.
Meeting minutes/summaries from the WRIA 54, WRIA 56 and WRIA 55/57 meetings are posted online on the Spokane County Water Resources Department’s web page. You can view them by WRIA at the links below and their meeting dates are posted on the County’s web site. Please note that the WRIA 55/57 & WRIA 56 meetings are held jointly so they share the same minutes.
If you have any questions about SCD’s involvement with watershed planning, please contact Lindsay Chutas.
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