WRIA 62 WMP 032305 - Washington State Department of Ecology

March, 2005 -41- 023-1289-003.3040
restrictions unless a study can adequately prove otherwise 1 . The WPU therefore acknowledges that
site-specific studies to characterize the nature of the hydraulic interaction between groundwater and
surface water may be needed where groundwater supply to support population growth has the
potential to impact surface water.
4.1.2 QUANT-2a Background and Rationale
Problem Statement: To effectively address competing water needs now and in the future,
instream flow needs for the Pend Oreille River mainstem and the tributaries to the Pend Oreille
River and Priest River Basin in WRIA 62 should be more fully understood in areas where
water demand is expected to increase.
Competing water needs, both in stream and out of stream, include water needs for municipal /
domestic, agricultural, industrial and commercial supply as well as water needs to protect terrestrial
and aquatic biota.
As described in Section 4.1.1 above, the highest population growth rates (and therefore the areas
where water demand is expected to increase in the future) are predicted to occur within the southern
sub-basins, including Calispell, Davis, Skookum, Kent and McCloud and along the mainstem of the
Pend Oreille River from the Idaho state -line north to the Town of Ione (Figure 4.2).
In order to understand and quantify if water is available for future appropriation within these areas,
the Watershed Planning Unit agreed during the Phase II technical assessment that stream flow
information is needed for the southern sub-basins that are expected to experience the highest
population growth rates. As a component of Phase II, the Watershed Planning Unit contracted
collection of stream flow data between June 2003 and June 2004 at seven locations within the
southern sub-basins of Calispell, Davis, Skookum and Kent (GeoEngineers, 2004). The locations of
the surface water monitoring sites are shown on Figure 4.4. The Kalispel Tribe agreed to take on the
responsibility of maintaining and downloading data from these seven stream gages during Phase IV.
The Watershed Planning Unit agreed that sufficient flow information exists for the mainstem of the
Pend Oreille River. Flow information for the mainstem of the Pend Oreille River is summarized in
the Phase II, Level 1 and Level 2 reports (Entrix, 2002; Golder, 2005).
It is the intent of the Watershed Planning Unit to continue data collection within the southern subbasins
during Phase IV implementation with the support of the Implementing Body and contingent
upon available funding. It is the intent of the Watershed Planning Unit that this information be used
to support development of instream flows for these sub-basins in the future.
The second aspect of this issue is that the Watershed Planning Unit agrees that their priority for
instream flow setting is the southern sub-basins of Calispell, Davis, Skookum, Kent and McCloud
since it is these sub-basins that are anticipated to experience population growth and therefore
increased water demand in the future. It is the intent of the Watershed Planning Unit through this
management plan, to encourage Ecology to set instream flows within these WRIA 62 sub-basins as a
priority. Since these sub-basins are essentially closed to further appropriation by Ecology
administered SWSLs (see Section 4.1.1 above), the Watershed Planning Unit feels it is important to
develop scientifically based instream flows for these sub-basins to determine if there is water
available within these areas to support future growth. If instream studies indicate that water is
1 See Washington Supreme Court decision Postema v. Pollution Control Hearings Board, 142 Wn.2d 68, 93
(2000) which determined that Ecology may deny/condition water rights where there is hydraulic continuity and
impairment of existing surface rights including instream flow.
WRIA 62 WMP 032305