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Testimony of the NWIFC February 18, 1993 



on Fish & Wildlife Management Page 8 



people is utterly dependent on the availability of ample, clean water. Yet, even in the 

 Pacific Northwest, there are water shortage and quality problems that have 

 continually worsened over the years. 



The planning and allocation of water resources in all western states over the past 

 century has consisted primarily of the granting of permits in response from 

 individuals and groups wishing to exploit this precious resource. But the realization 

 that water is a finite resource and that competitive demands for it easily exceed its 

 availability have increased the complexity of water management decisions. 



In 1990, at the urging of the tribes, a series of tribal-state-user water resource 

 planning retreats was held. Top ranking officials of state, tribal and local government 

 interacted with representatives of business, agriculture, environmental organizations, 

 recreation, hydropower, commercial fishing and other water-related interests to 

 develop a cooperative water resource planning process. 



The result was a process now known as the Chelan Process. The basic goals of the 

 "agreement" are to 1) manage water by hydrologic unit, 2) meet water needs first 

 with resources within each respective unit, 3) work toward the tribes' general long 

 term policy objective of achieving an overall net gain of the productive capacity of 

 fish and wildlife habitats, and 4) accommodate growrth in a manner that protects the 

 unique environment of the state. The process was not designed to determine or 

 resolve legal disputes. Nor was it intended to be the only option for water 

 management in the state. But the process does provide an historic opportunity to 

 promote ongoing cooperation in water management planning, and thus minimize 

 conflict. 



Over the past two years, the Water Forum, a committee of affected parties, 

 including tribes, has met to resolve a comprehensive workplan. If successful, the 

 plan will advocate a statewide policy on instream flows, hydraulic continuity, 

 groundwater planning, and other critical water considerations. Also during this time, 

 pilot cooperative planning projects have been conducted on the Dungeness 

 watershed in western Washington and on the Methow watershed in eastern 

 Washington, to test the regional approach. 



Puget Sound Water Quality Program 



The tribes have been major participants in water quality, as well as water quantity- 

 oriented programs. The primary water quality-related programs involving tribes in 

 the state have been the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority (PSWQA) and a wide 

 range of water quality programs supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection 

 Agency. 



