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Goals
Reduce and eliminate nonpoint sources of pollution including pathogens, toxic contaminants, sediment, and nutrients from the waters of San Juan County and Puget Sound.
Develop county policies that manage water resources, by protecting existing water rights, by protecting and enhancing flows and habitat for water-related wildlife and fish, and by providing for the public health and well-being of the county.
Develop a watershed management plan that includes realistic objectives and durable solutions that reflect the diversity of the watersheds and island communities and will survive political change.
Objectives:
On-site septic systems, failing systems
- Set up ongoing monitoring and surveys to identify problem areas.
- Set up programs offering education, incentives, and technical assistance to homeowners to prevent residential pollution from on-site septic systems, landscape management, and stormwater runoff.
Agricultural practices
- Set up programs offering education, incentives, and technical assistance to property owners to prevent pollution from agricultural practices for large and small acreages.
- Recommend best management practices for stormwater, agriculture, clearing and grading to be implemented through new development codes
Forestry practices
- Recommend best management practices for stormwater, agriculture, clearing and grading to be implemented through new development codes.
- Establish water quality standards for water bodies, intermittent and perennial streams in conjunction with Department of Ecology
- Identify streams for consideration on forestry projects by the DNR and county
- Evaluate and develop standards for the role of wetland and riparian areas in the protection and enhancement of water quality and quantity
- Conversion of resource lands to residential and other development
- Recommend best management practices for stormwater, agriculture, clearing and grading to be implemented through new development codes.
- Establish water quality standards for water bodies, and intermittent and perennial streams in conjunction with Department of Ecology.
- Evaluate and develop standards for the role of wetland and riparian areas in the protection and enhancement of water quality and quantity.
- Recommend policies for protection of marine habitat management areas and for drinking water protection areas including well head protection and watershed control areas.
- Work with the Marine Resources Committee to evaluate impacts on fish and shellfish from the degradation of water quality and loss of habitat. This evaluation will include boating activities and nearshore and upland land uses.
- Conduct a county-wide inventory to identify critical water resource areas. This inventory should be conducted on a watershed scale and include infiltration, runoff, rainfall, land use and density, ground and surface water withdrawals, existing water rights, and beneficial use, taking into consideration seasonal and other variations.
Marinas
- Adopt a public involvement and education plan that establishes a permanent community involvement in water resource protection (stewardship), including: educational and technical assistance programs,incentives, coordination with other agencies and non-profit organizations, on-going surveys and studies
- Work with the Marine Resources Committee to evaluate impacts on fish and shellfish from the degradation of water quality and loss of habitat. This evaluation will include boating activities and nearshore and upland land uses.
Stormwater runoff
- Set up programs offering education, incentives, and technical assistance to homeowners to prevent residential pollution from on-site septic systems, landscape management, and stormwater runoff.
- Recommend best management practices for stormwater, agriculture, clearing and grading to be implemented through new development codes
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