Draft Watershed plan available for review; public meetings scheduled for Sept. 14-15

Sun., Sept. 12, 2004

The Spokane Association of REALTORS®

Public meetings will be held this week to review a Draft Watershed Plan for future water use in the Middle Spokane and Little Spokane watersheds.

The first meeting will from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 14 in the senior area at the East Central Community Center located at 500 S. Stone St. The second meeting will be held the following evening, Wednesday, Sept. 15, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., in the Meeting Room at the Chattaroy Fire Station No. 42, located at 3219 E. Chattaroy Rd.

In 1999, a planning unit made up of local agencies and various interest groups was formed to plan for future water use in the Middle Spokane and Little Spokane River watersheds. Since the project began, the planning unit and consulting scientists have completed a Data Assessment Report, Instream Flow Analysis, and evaluation of water use trends.

The first draft of the Middle Spokane and Little Spokane Watershed Plan, which includes recommendations, is now available for review and comment.

Attend one of these meetings to learn about the results of the Middle Spokane River and Little Spokane River Instream Flow Analyses; hear what the planning unit recommends to manage water use in our region; provide comments on the watershed planning recommendations; and share your perspectives on the prioritization of watershed plan recommendations.

The Draft Watershed Plan can be downloaded from the project web site at www.spokanewatershed.org. Also, copies are available at several local libraries and the Spokane County Utilities office. For more information call 477-3604, ext 7678.

Written comments on this document are encouraged and will be accepted until Oct. 1. Comments should be submitted to Rob Lindsay, Spokane County Utilities, 1026 W. Broadway Avenue, Spokane, WA 99260-0430, or via e-mail to rlindsay@spokanecounty.org

Public comments and perspectives are important and will be considered as the watershed planning unit finalizes the plan later this year.

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