Welcome to Skagit County

July 5th, 2006

SKAGIT COUNTY, DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY, AND U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ANNOUNCE WORKSHOPS FOR SKAGIT RIVER GROUNDWATER STUDY

MOUNT VERNON, WA. – Skagit County, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the nation’s leading water resource research agency, announced today that it will be holding a public workshop on July 13, 2006 regarding a comprehensive study of groundwater in the Lower Skagit River Basin. The public workshop will be held on Thursday, July 13 at Skagit County Commissioners’ Hearing Room, 1800 Continental Place in Mount Vernon, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The public workshop will be used to discuss the objectives and methodology for the USGS study, and to allow interested members of the public to ask questions and provide input.
The USGS study is part of a series of actions agreed to by Skagit County and Ecology in reaching a Settlement Agreement over Ecology’s Skagit River Instream Flow Rule. In May 2006, Ecology adopted amendments to the Skagit Instream Flow Rule in hopes of ending litigation and moving forward with implementation of instream flow protections in Skagit County. The Settlement Agreement included a commitment to initiate the groundwater study with the USGS. Skagit County and Ecology have agreed to share half the cost of the study, while the USGS will pay for the other half.

"The USGS is pleased to be partnering with the Department of Ecology and Skagit County to provide scientific information about the county's water resources," said Mark Savoca, supervisory hydrologist with the USGS Washington Water Science Center. "This information is vital for water managers and stakeholders to manage the resources."
The USGS study is necessary to resolve scientific uncertainty about groundwater in Skagit County, including where wells may have limited or no impact on surface water flows. The study will investigate the interaction between ground and surface waters in the Nookachamps, Fisher, and Carpenter Creeks and groundwater flow in the Skagit River Delta. The USGS study will be the most comprehensive investigation of ground and surface water in this area and can help identify innovative water management solutions for the Skagit River basin.
“We are committed to ensuring that our instream flow rule in the Skagit Basin is based on good science, and this study will improve our knowledge of the Skagit Basin so that the Skagit instream flow rule can be properly implemented,” said Joe Stohr, Special Assistant to the Director of Ecology.
The July 13 public workshop will be only one of a number of opportunities for local and regional input on the USGS study. The USGS will also be holding periodic technical workshops with groundwater experts from around the Skagit County area. Representatives from a number of organizations interested in groundwater science have been invited to participate in the technical workshop process. The main end product of the USGS study will be a ground water model that can be used by community members and governments to evaluate different water management projects and strategies.
“The new Skagit Instream Flow Rule now includes reservations of water for future agricultural and domestic use. The study’s findings will assist in making decisions on the use of these reservations, as well as on streamflow mitigation and other water management projects,” said Skagit County Administrator Gary Rowe.