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Page A—2 — Shelton-Mason Journal — Thursday, July 30, 2020
Plenty of work remains, on watershed restoration plan
Environmental effects,
scope remain challenges
By lsabella Breda
/sabe//a@masoncountycom
The Kennedy—Goldsborough Water—
shed Restoration and Enhancement
Committee has less than one year to
complete a plan that outlines projects
to offset domestic groundwater con-
sumption with a net ecological benefit.
“A lot of the ideas have fecused on
consumptive use — how much water
we pull out of the watershed for de-
velopment and what projects can be
used to create net zero impact on the
ecosystem,” said Kevin Shutty, Mason
County commissioner and Watershed
Restoration and Enhancement Com-
mittee member.
The Legislature passed the Stream-
flow Restoration Act, RCW 90.94, in
2018- The water-resource manage-
ment law requires residents near 15
watersheds serving rural areas to
develop plans that mitigate effects to
iii—stream flow from nearby housing
developments.
According to the Department of
Ecology, the Kennedy-Goldsborough
' committee has until J anuary to devel—
op the watershed plan.
According to Mason Conservation
District project outline, the Kennedy—
Goldsborough Watershed encompass—
es about 240,000 acres, and includes
Clary, Uncle John, Campbell, Cran-
berry, Deer, Goldsborough, Johns,
Malaney, Mill, Schneider and Skoo-
kum creeks; Hammersley, Totten and
Little Skookum inlets; Shelton Har-
bor and Oakland Bay. The watershed
spans Mason County and includes
part of north Thurston County.
“The county is focused on identify-
ing projects that would count toward
the mitigation of future development
and trying to keep this process pro-
spective rather than in retrospect,”
Shutty said. “We are looking to the
future —- where do we anticipate (resi-
dential) growth and how do we offset
the environmental impact.”
Some of the ecological ef-
fects associated With develop-
ment that are addressed within the“
draft plan include damming wet—
lands and converting ‘forestland
to agricultural or residential uses.
In order to mitigate those ecological
effects, the committee will have to out-
line potential funding sources.
During the July 9 committee meet-.
ing, representatives from the Squaxin
Island Tribe proposed increasing new
permit—exempt well fees to $1,500 per
connection to help fund the restoration
plan.
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The Kennedy-Goldsborough watershed spans Mason and North Thurston
counties. Some issues identified in the draft plan are low streamflow and
Section 2.1 of the draft plan states
that the tribes “possess the earliest
priority rights to water within the
Kennedy—Goldsborough Watershed.”
The fees are currently $500, Shutty
said.
“Consumptive water use reduces
streamflow,” the draft plan states.
“Pumping from wells can reduce
groundwater that would otherwise
have discharged naturally.”
Campbell Creek and its tributaries
and Goldsborough Creek have been
listed by the state Department of Ecol-
ogy as “impaired” for high tempera-
tures. .
Low streamflow allows the sun to
rising water termperatures Graphic courtesy of Mason
Conservation/“District
watershe‘ct is “an important and pro-
ductive system for endangered and
threatened salmonoids.”
A HISTORY OF RESTORATION
The Watershed restoration and im-
provement planning process has been
years in the making.
Shutty said one early success of
these watershed management discus-
sions was the move to put forward
a plan to put the Evergreen Mobile
Home Park on Shelton Springs Road
on sewer to help mitigate potential
seepage into Johns Lake.
“Even though the plan is notgfinal—
ized we’ve been able to go after proj-
permeate through to lower levels of ects early,” Shutty said.
water, heating the stream itself.
“Higher temperatures are exac-
erbated by low stream flow,” section
2.3.3 ofthe draft plan states.
According to the draft plan, the
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Other watershed plans date to 2014.
The Hood Canal Coordinating
Council prepared an Integrated Wa—
tershed Plan in 2014, which outlined
objectives including developing a
liafibriiled
riod.
' evolve,” Shutty said: “ * * “
Kev/n Shutty
Mason County commissioner
stormwater retrofit plan, creating
outreach and communication tools to
raise awareness and implement salm-
onoid conservation and management
plans.
Section 2.2.1 of the draft plan sug-
gests the current plan is building off
the 2014 integrated watershed plan,
among others.
Though watershed management
plans are nothing new in an area
dominated by streams, tributaries and
bodies of water, this project aims to be
all-encompassing during a 20—year pe-
Climate forecas‘ts regarding stream-
flow still need‘to 'be completed, but
a 2018 study projects a rise'in water
temperatures of 7.2 degrees. “Water
temperatures affect salmonoid surviv-
al, growth and fitness,” section 2.3.3 of
the plan states.
“Frankly whether you are a propo-
nent or opponent of climate change, We
need to be mindful of it and address
issues while giving ourselves the flex-
ibility to adapt as science and needs
saw/Mm «
Meetings are the second Thursday
of every month, from 9 a.m. to 12:30
p.m.; links to meetings are available
in the agenda posted at www.ezview.
wa.gov/site/alias__1962/37326/Wa-
tershed_restoration_and_enhance—
ment_-_wria_14.aspx. .
Stakeholders in the plan include the
Skokomish and Squaxin Island tribes,
Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife, the City of Shelton, Olympia
Master Builders, Washington State
Department of Health, Mason PUD 1,
Mason and Thurston counties, Mason
Conservation District, Mason-Kitsap
Farm Bpreau and the Washingto
Chapter of the Sierra Club. "
The Department of Ecology and
Squaxin Island Tribe did not respond
to requests for comment by the Jour—
nal’s deadline.
“There’s a long way to go,” Shutty
said. ‘ ‘
Also Servmg: Olympia - Lacey Tumwaier ' Tenino - Yelm Tacoma -
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Aberdeen McKenna ' Gig Harbor Cenlralia Chehalis ' Longview '
Vancouver - Roy