A LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CELP has made it a priority to make Washington’s…
Washington Water Watch – Summer 2023
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
| Summer is in full swing, and thankfully we are being spared from the excessive heat plaguing most of the world right now. But because of the unusually dry spring we had most of the state is excessively dry, and just this week the Department of Ecology declared a drought for watersheds in 12 counties. All the snowpack we accumulated over the winter has melted, and most of our rivers are running below normal levels resulting in higher-than-normal temperatures. This is bad news for fish.
Climate change is making warm, dry summers more common in the state, and increasing the frequency and severity of droughts. Our current water management system is not prepared to handle these changes, and water users are not equally impacted. Those with earlier water rights face less curtailment of their water use, and those with junior water rights, like the instream flows, face impacts that harm fish and wildlife, small farmers, and some drinking water for residents. As the frequency of droughts in Washington state accelerates more need to be done to manage water to protect instream flows and fish and make the impacts from the curtailment of water felt equally by all out-of-stream users. That’s where CELP comes in, we are fighting to make Washington’s water management system more sustainable and equitable. But we can’t do it alone, with support from donors like you we will work to protect and restore our rivers, modernize Washington’s water policies, and educate Washingtonians about water conservation. On a sad note, we lost one of CELP’s founding advisors in June. Charles Wilkinson specialized in natural resources and Indian law. He will be missed by us all. Read more about him here. |
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Trish Rolfe, Executive Director
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Buy Your Tickets NOW for Celebrate Waters, 2023!
Thursday, September 21, 2023, 5:00-7:30 pm
Presenting this year’s Ralph Johnson Water Hero Award to Carla Carson, Muckleshoot Analyst/Hydrologist (retired)
and welcoming special guest speaker, John Echohawk, Executive Director Native American Rights Fund
Tickets are $65 and available here — use code EarlyBird for $10 off until August 25!
CELEBRATE WATERS SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE NOW – please email trolfe@celp.org for more information.
Drought Declared
Early snowmelt, a lack of spring rain, and low streamflows have prompted Ecology to declare a drought emergency for parts of 12 counties.
New Status and Protections Considered for Four Water Bodies
In what would be a first for Washington state, the Department of Ecology is proposing to classify four water bodies as “Outstanding Resource Waters” – a special designation under the federal Clean Water Act that carries extra water quality protections and recognition.
SAVE THE DATE!
The American Water Resource Association Washington State Annual Conference is happening again! The AWRA Washington State conference returns on September 28, 2023, at the Mountaineers Seattle Program Center.We are one of several regional sponsors and look forward to hearing more from our colleagues.Interested? You are welcome to attend! More information coming soon.
CELP Honorary Board Member and Tribal Advocate, Charles Wilkinson, dies at 81.
Wilkinson leaves a legacy of advocacy and education on behalf of tribes and protecting the lands and waters of the West.CELP sends our condolences to his family and those who knew and worked with him.
Read more here.
CELP welcomes our newest board member, Claire Newman!
Claire is a graduate of the UW School of Law and her expertise lies in fundamental issues of indigenous sovereignty, including the exercising of treaty hunting and fishing rights; federal reserved water rights; alleged waivers of sovereign immunity; tribal governments’ exercise of regulatory and adjudicatory jurisdiction, and the applicability and constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
We rely on our membership to supply funds to help us act decisively and to provide strength to our voice as we work with agencies, government bodies and leadership to create better water management policies.
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Washington Water Watch – Summer 2023
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