The Department of Ecology currently has one-half of a position dedicated to enforcing laws against nonpoint pollution and illegal water withdrawals. Six staff will be dedicated to enforcing nonpoint pollution laws and four positions will enforce laws against illegal water withdrawals in areas with existing or potential endangered salmon listings. The agency will also hire staff to take immediate actions and enforce existing laws where local governments are not making substantial progress to protect water quality, quantity, and salmon habitat. During the 1998 Session the Legislature passed the Watershed Management Act which established a process for local governments to conduct watershed planning. This planning process is an important tool for local governments to address water quality, water quantity, and salmon habitat issues.
Additional funding is provided for grants for local planning efforts.
Salmon Recovery A critical component of the Statewide Salmon Recovery Strategy is the development and implementation of a monitoring program to show whether the strategy is recovering salmon. In cooperation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Ecology will establish long term index sites within ten watersheds to measure smolt production, and the condition of fish habitat and landscape features. The Department will collect water quality, temperature, and water flow information. Pollution Prevention Projects Pollution prevention is a fundamentally better strategy than controlling the pollution after it occurs. The Department will undertake activities to prevent pollution through the following three activities.