Long-Range Planning develops plans, conducts studies, and provides staff support for citizen committees in several planning processes relating to watersheds, marine habitats, and marine resources.

Note: Some documents that are available from this page are formatted as .pdf files , and require the use of the free Adobe® Reader®. If you do not already have this installed, you may get it by clicking this hyperlink.

Watershed Management Action Plan

A new San Juan County Watershed Management Action Plan was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on June 21, 2000. This Action Plan was developed by the Watershed Management Committee, a citizens' advisory committee, to meet the requirements of the Puget Sound Water Quality Management Plan.

Although San Juan County marine waters are considered to be of high quality compared to other areas of Puget Sound, problem areas were identified which need to be addressed. The Watershed Action Plan, and the preceeding Characterization Report, identify important water quality resources and uses, identify pollution sources and management issues, and present over 100 strategies to prevent water quality degradation in the County and Sound from non-point source pollution.

Non-point sources of pollution include: On-site septic systems, conversion of undeveloped land to residential and commercial development, stormwater runoff, agricultural practices, forestry practices, marinas and boating activities, and solid and hazardous waste. Long-term, ongoing water quality monitoring was the committee's number one strategy. Sixty of the strategies are County-wide, and more than 40 strategies are specific to certain watersheds within the top 9 priority watersheds. [Map of the 9 watersheds: (162 kB)]

Also see the Washington Dept. of Ecology's Web page for information about WRIA water resource planning in San Juan County.[Note: this link will take you out from the County's Web site to that of the Dept. of Ecology elsewhere on the Internet.]

In July of 1997 the San Juan County Planning Department was awarded federal Coastal Zone Management funds to develop a management plan for the Westcott-Garrison embayment and associated watershed. Project work includes determining the need for specific management strategies to protect critical marine habitat in the bays.

Three public information workshops were held during June and July of 1998. These workshops covered the initial findings (critical marine habitats, habitat sensitivities, existing land uses) for the watershed, and included preliminary discussions of the future-growth scenario.

A Project Overview is available from this Web page, which covers the project background, scope and timeline.

A Watershed Assessment Report was released in January 1999, and both the report and its maps are also available from this site.

Issues of concern have been summarized in a table that describes potential risks, existing management measures, and management concerns (or management "gaps") for protecting the Westcott-Garrison critical marine habitat.

Management Strategies

Marine resource management strategies are now being developed to protect the critical marine resources. Recommended Management Strategies have now been developed for the Westcott-Garrison Marine Habitat Management Area. An environmental review has been completed, a SEPA Determination of Nonsignificance was issued, and a settlement of the appeals of the SEPA decision has been reached.

The Planning Commission review of the revised Management Strategies is postponed until after consideration of the Waldron Subarea Plan Consistency Review. A public hearing by the Planning Commission will be rescheduled to a date to be announced.

A Preliminary Management Strategies Report was released in March 1999. Following a public meeting on March 17,1999 at the Roche Harbor Pavilion, management strategies were re-worked to reflect initial input that was provided by community members at the meeting. The Revised Preliminary Management Strategies Report is available from this site or from the Planning Department. Supplemental material, covering wetland functions, stream processes and related issues is also available from the Planning Department as background information to the strategies development work.

Public workshops were held on 4/20/1999 and 5/4/1999 to provide an opportunity for the community to help develop and refine these potential management strategies.

Monitoring Protocols

A system-wide baseline study of the marine complex was completed during the summer of 1998. Using the data from this study, protocols are being developed for use in on-going monitoring of the critical marine resources that have been identified through this project. These monitoring protocols will be designed for use in other Marine Habitat Management Area Overlay Districts that may be designated by the County.

Management Plan Adoption (forthcoming)

The Westcott-Garrison Assessment Report and Marine Habitat Management Strategies will be combined, undergo environmental review, and will be submitted for formal adoption into the SJC Comprehensive Plan later this year to establish the Management Plan. This will complete the project work for the prototype Westcott-Garrison Marine Habitat Management Area Plan. Adoption proceedings will follow.

For further information, contact the San Juan County Community Development and Planning Department, at (360) 378-2116.

Bottomfish (e.g., rockfish, lingcod, cabezon) have been seriously depleted in many areas by overfishing. Recovery of these fish stocks is a high priority for the MRC and the County. Mike Kaill is now directing the Recovery Program, which includes eight voluntary "no take" zones. These areas, identified with the help of the public in the County, are shown in maps that can be viewed at the Bottomfish Program section of the MRC's web page, and in the free brochure that is available at the Community Development and Planning Department and at other locations. 

Personal Water Craft (PWC) [often described by reference to one brand, the JetSki®] issues: see Documents and regulations regarding Personal Watercraft.

In March 1996, responding to public concern, the San Juan Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) identified a series of marine resource-related problems and appointed the Marine Resources Committee (MRC) to look into possible solutions. (See also the MRC's Web page.) The problems include:

•	A decline in fish and fishing;
•	Too many boats on the water and the Personal Water Craft (PWC) [often described by reference to one brand, the JetSki®] problem (see Documents and regulations regarding Personal Watercraft);
•	Excessively high demand for recreational resources, such as parks and shore facilities;
•	Nonpoint pollution (pollution which occurs over a broad or ill-defined area; examples include pesticide application, septic tank releases, manure and fertilizer application, road runoff, boat discharges, etc.).

The Committee's focus includes the following missions:

•	Implementing an approach to restore and conserve bottomfish (see above);
•	Preparing an inventory of the most critical problems facing the water of the San Juan Islands, and an inventory of current laws, programs and agencies that deal with marine issues;
•	Developing an approach to deal with catastrophic (oil spill) as well as chronic (nonpoint) pollution;
•	Developing an approach to addressing the growing commercial activity in the islands, and its impact on recreational/esthetic/economic use of local marine resources by county residents.