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Center for Environmental Law & Policy
Clean, Flowing Waters for the West
There are all kinds of reasons to GIVE BIG this year, but water might just be the most important. Washington is already experiencing drought conditions in most of the state and as we move into warmer months, what remains of our water supply in the form of snowpack will disappear too fast. ![]()
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From providing habitat to irrigating our food, water is life. We must protect the water have by conserving, enacting laws & policies that take climate change into consideration, and prioritizing stream flows. ![]()
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Please GIVE BIG – our waterways thank you! ![]()
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www.wagives.org/organization/center-for-environmental-law-policy
71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, but only 3.5% is freshwater. Of that, 68% is stored as snow in icecaps and glaciers and 30% is in groundwater. ![]()
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Water = life. NOTHING on the planet survives without it. And water in the form of precipitation is getting less and less predictable. ![]()
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This Earth Day Join CELP in showing your respect for the earth by being conscientious about your water usage. Together, we can make a difference. ![]()
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Happy Earth Day!
This is the new normal. This is not just an issue of "not what we are used to."![]()
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ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who-we-are/news/2024-news-stories/april-16-drought-declaration
It's going to be a looooong dry summer. ![]()
UPDATE: Water supply outlook exceptionally dry throughout Washington - My Bellingham Now
mybellinghamnow.com
The North Puget Sound Basin is at 56% of the normal snowpack for the area and the monthly precipitation rate is 63% of normal.
The headwaters of the Puyallup Watershed begin on Mount Rainier and run all the way to Commencement Bay in Tacoma. It is the only watershed in the US that starts in a national park and ends in a superfund site. ![]()
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Water rights in the watershed were issued over 100 years ago, resulting in little to no available water to those seeking a new water right. As the Puyallup watershed is a critical salmon habitat, both the Muckleshoot and Puyallup Tribes are concerned about maintaining streamflows that are sufficient for salmon. ![]()
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Most of the precipitation falls in the form of rain in the winter and fall months when it is not needed, and storage capacity is maxed out. The critical precipitation stored as snowfall and glacial ice on Mount Rainier is rapidly decreasing due to climate change, increasing concerns over the long-term health of the watershed.
As the weather starts to turn into what we call “gardening weather” here in the office, it's time to remind people that choosing native plants for your landscape helps conserve and clean water, strengthens your garden ecosystem, and results in less work for you! ![]()
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Native plants:![]()
🌿Adapt to our climate better![]()
🌿Require less water once they are established![]()
🌿Resist native pests and diseases better![]()
🌿Improve water quality by needing less fertilizer and no pesticides![]()
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Find out more about native plants by visiting the Washington Native Plant Society page at: www.wnps.org/native-gardening