PORT ANGELES — Would Clallam County ratepayers pitch in to support a water resource conservation program?
They might, a representative from the Washington Water Trust told the three county commissioners Monday.
Project Manager Amanda Cronin told county and Clallam County Public Utility District commissioners that nearly 300 central Oregon residents have joined a pilot program that was formed to boost the streamflow of the Deschutes River.
She pitched an idea for Clallam County that is modeled after the Deschutes River program.
“We just had some initial discussions about setting up a similar program that would benefit the Dungeness River and maybe even the Elwha,” Cronin said.
Washington Water Trust is working under a contract to assist Clallam County develop in-stream river-flow rules, which set standards for allowable cubic feet per second of river to support both irrigation and marine life.
“We’re working closely with the irrigators on clarifying and understanding their water rights,” Cronin said.
“We’ve been looking at ways to fund water projects. We have a pretty detailed and broad scope of work under our current contract.”
Teaming up
She told commissioners that the Bend, Ore.-based Deschutes River Conservancy has teamed up with Avion Water, a private company, in a voluntary program called Blue Water.
Customers who choose to enroll pay between $1.60 and $6.40 per month to support the Deschutes River Conservancy’s efforts to increase Deschutes River flows.
Discussions in Clallam County have been focused on the Dungeness River — Water Resource Inventory Area 18 — “but there’s no reason it couldn’t apply to other watersheds,” Cronin said.
“In order to make it work here, we would need to work with one of the water purveyors, whether it’s the [Clallam County Public Utility District] or either city, or ideally all three if they’re interested,” she added.
County commissioners took no action on the matter.
Commissioner Mike Doherty asked Cronin about the success of Blue Water in the Deschutes basin. Cronin said the program has raised as much as $16,000 per year.
Commissioner Steve Tharinger, who is working simultaneously as a state representative in Olympia, said via speakerphone that if a similar program could raise $7,000 to $10,000 per year, it would translate into “meaningful” water resources for the Dungeness River basin in August and September.
Talked with PUD
Cronin gave the same presentation at the PUD meeting later Monday. Talks with the cities of Port Angeles and Sequim are forthcoming but have yet to be scheduled.
“It’s really a conceptual idea at this point,” Cronin said.
PUD spokesman Mike Howe said that PUD commissioners asked for the staff to research the idea.
If a similar program were adopted in Clallam County, there would be no cost to the county, its cities or the PUD.
“Basically, we just wanted to give you the idea here, put it out on the table, see if anybody has any questions and let you know that we’re exploring it,” Cronin said.
“We’ll keep folks posted on how that all comes together.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
