JOYCE – After flying beneath most West End residents’ radar for six years, a management plan for the Lyre, Hoko and nearby watersheds may touch down for public viewing this summer.
At issue is how much water will be left for people after water is set aside for fish in the streams that drain into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The plan will form the framework for the state Department of Ecology to set rules on how much water for which uses will be available from what streams.
Ecology has spent nearly $350,000 on the study.
Citizens, scientists and timber company representatives compose the planning group for Water Resource Inventory Area 19.
Meeting Tuesday at the Crescent Bay Lions Club, they thrashed out recommendations for when creeks and rivers should be closed to withdrawing water for humans.
They will reconvene at 5 p.m. June 26 in the Sekiu Community Center to review public comments on their draft plan.
Like all its sessions, the meeting will be public – although few people have paid attention to the group.
