Ecology will meet with local officials and people working on water supply issues to talk about these and other possible actions before making decisions on new water uses. Frye said she also wants to find out if there s any additional information Ecology should have before making decisions on the applications. It s up to people in the watershed whether to pursue any of the ideas in this report, or other ideas. If they want to improve the water supply, we could wait to make some of these decisions and work with them to do that, she added. The report analyzed existing data on water supply, water quality, fisheries and water use.
Ground water provides the total flow in the rivers and creeks when there is no rain or snowmelt.
Water quality problems such as acidity, high temperatures, low levels of dissolved oxygen and high fecal coliform bacteria levels are most likely to occur when stream flows are low. Numbers of summer chinook and summer steelhead in the Okanogan River are below expected levels. Nine dams on the Columbia River have substantially reduced the numbers of anadromous fish in the watershed. Ecology mailed a copy of the draft report to people who ve applied for new water rights. Frye said the agency will contact applicants again after meeting with local officials and water interests.