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Methow Valley News June 17, 1999 Endangered Species Coverage A big week: but just a beginning Ditches and water rule hearing top agenda by Lee Hicks Federal officials met with irrigation diverters to discuss getting flows started in two ditches on federal lands, including one which serves the Valley’s largest employer, Sun Mountain Lodge. At the Winthrop Barn last Thursday (June 10), the state Department of Ecology presented its proposed new water rule for the Methow Basin that will dramatically change the way water is allocated. Among other key provisions, the rule would set up a "water bank" in which unused water could in theory be "deposited" in accounts to improve instream flows for fish and for agriculture, fish habitat, development and water storage. As the week unfolded, some participants in the sessions--whether water users or government officials--were acknowledging that agendas, objectives, strategies and responsibilities were still not yet fully developed. And it was becoming increasingly clear that many answers could only be gained from the National Marine Fisheries Service. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, NMFS has listed two fish species--spring-run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout-- as endangered, and another--the bull trout--as threatened in the Methow Basin. As the federal water diversions and the water rule remained a key topic, the state Attorney General’s office--acting as counsel for the state Ecology--unveiled new issues in a battle for water rights at the Freestone Inn and Cabins resort in Mazama. The debate could affect not only the existing Freestone complex, but the larger proposed Arrowleaf resort. Opinion |
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