WRIA 62 WMP 032305 - Washington State Department of Ecology

March, 2005 -102- 023-1289-003.3040
WRIA 62 WMP 032305
programmatic, non-project level of the SEPA process is adequate for County approval.
Where alternatives in the statewide programmatic Watershed Planning EIS provide coverage
for these actions, some of the documentation needed for the project-level SEPA approval
process may reference the statewide programmatic Watershed Planning EIS and this Chapter.
However, the extent of the project SEPA process needed for each action is dependent entirely
upon the nature of the specific action and its potential adverse environmental impacts. In
some cases, these individual actions are in their early planning stages and are not sufficie ntly
developed to make a SEPA judgment at the time of plan adoption by the County.
This non-programmatic SEPA review of specific actions is not a prerequisite for the SEPA
compliance necessary to achieve County approval of the Watershed Plan, but will generally
be necessary for plan implementation.
In summary, this chapter of the WRIA 62 Watershed Management Plan and adoption of the statewide
programmatic Watershed Planning EIS fulfills the programmatic SEPA requirements necessary for
County approval of the WRIA 62 Plan. SEPA compliance for individual (project and non-project)
actions in the WRIA 62 Plan may also be granted during this approval process; however, some
actions will be required to undergo specific project or non-project level review at the time that the
individual action is implemented.
For federal actions, NEPA compliance is required when the action is implemented. However, this
compliance is not a prerequisite for approval of the Watershed Plan by the County, nor is it necessary
during the programmatic SEPA review. Additionally, the Watershed Planning Unit cannot obligate a
federal agency to implement any actions, but can make recommendations to a federal agency.
7.3 SEPA compliance for the Pend Oreille (WRIA 62) Watershed Management Plan
7.3.1 Plan Consistencies with the Statewide Programmatic Watershed Planning EIS
Recommended actions in the WRIA 62 Plan that are consistent with alternatives described in the
statewide programmatic Watershed Planning EIS do not require supplemental information or
additional consideration to achieve non-project programmatic SEPA compliance. A SEPA gap
analysis was conducted where all alternatives in the statewide programmatic Watershed Planning EIS
were reviewed and compared with recommended actions in the WRIA 62 Plan.
The alternatives from the statewide programmatic Watershed Planning EIS that were applied to the
WRIA 62 Plan are listed below. Further descriptions of these alternatives and potential
environmental impacts can be found in the statewide programmatic Watershed Planning EIS.
The following alternatives apply to one or more actions in the WRIA 62 Plan:
Water Quantity
• WP 1 – Develop and implement municipal conservation programs including demand
management and operational efficiency measures.
• WP 2 – Develop and implement agricultural water conservation and irrigation efficiency
efforts through regional or irrigation district infrastructure improvements.
• WP 3 – Develop and implement on-farm agricultural water conservation and irrigation
efficiency efforts.
• WP 4 – Develop and implement industrial conservation measures.