WRIA 62 WMP 032305 - Washington State Department of Ecology

March, 2005 -58- 023-1289-003.3040
4.2 Background and Rationale for Water Quality Issues
The following sections provide background information for each of the water quality issues.
4.2.1 WQUAL-1 Background and Rationale
Problem Statement: There is a need to develop a protocol to coordinate and ensure that WRIA
62 water quality data is provided for input into the Joint Stock Assessment Program (JSAP)
database.
During the early stages of Phase III Planning, the lack of coordination between the entities collecting
water quality data was identified as a concern. The Watershed Planning Unit considered applying for
supplemental funding to develop a web-enabled water quality database and protocols for entities
collecting data within the watershed to submit information for inclusion within the database. The
intent of the project was to have up-to-date water quality data for WRIA 62 easily accessible from a
single location. Discussion of the project raised concerns that a number of water quality databases
already exist, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Legacy Data Center and
STORET and Ecology’s Environmental Information Management System (EIM), and that creation of
a WRIA 62 database would be a duplication of effort. However, concerns were raised that the
existing databases do not include all water quality data for WRIA 62. In addition concerns were
raised that an active steward would be required to manage a WRIA 62 database into the future.
The Kalispel Tribe informed the Watershed Planning Unit that the Joint Stock Assessment Program
(JSAP) database was in the process of being developed and populated and it is the intent of the JSAP
to make this data accessible via the internet. The Joint Stock Assessment Project (JSAP) specifically
addresses NPCC Council measure 10.8B.26 of the 1994 program. The JSAP is a management tool
using ecosystem principles to manage artificial fish assemblages and native fish in altered
environments existing in the Columbia River System above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams.
Following discussions with representatives of the Kalispel Tribe, the Watershed Planning Unit agreed
that the most effective use of resources would be for the WRIA 62 water quality data collectors to
submit groundwater and surface water quality information to the Kalispel Tribe in the required format
for inclusion within the JSAP database. Since the JSAP is a long term project, funded by the
Bonneville Power Administration, the Watershed Planning Unit felt the system would be maintained
into the future and that collaboration with the Kalispel Tribe to incorporate water quality data for
WRIA 62 would be the most efficient use of resources.
Coordination of the collection and reporting of WRIA 62 water quality data for submission to the
JSAP database is expected to be accomplished by the Watershed Planning Implementing Body and
the Kalispel Tribe. The Watershed Planning Implementing Body is expected to coordinate data
collection and submission of the data to the Kalispel Tribe. This will involve identification,
collection and quality assurance of data not currently in the JSAP database and submission of these
data to JSAP managers. The Kalispel Tribe is expected to enter the data into the database and ensure
that the data are available via the internet.
4.2.2 WQUAL-2 Background and Rationale
Problem Statement: Eurasian watermilfoil and other aquatic nuisance weeds pose a threat to
native habitat and public safety in the Pend Oreille watershed.
The growth, and in some locations proliferation, of Eurasian watermilfoil and other aquatic nuisance
weeds such as curlyleaf pondweed in WRIA 62 impairs recreational activities (e.g., boating, fishing
WRIA 62 WMP 032305