Folks wade into the shallow waters of the Chehalis River in Galvin in early August.
Some junior water rights holders in the Chehalis Basin had their spigots shut off earlier this week by the Washington State Department of Ecology out of concern for dwindling stream flows on the Chehalis River and its tributaries.
A total of 93 junior water rights holders were informed that their access to surface water for commercial uses, including irrigation, are likely to be curtailed until fall rains improve flows. The rivers affected by the decision include the Chehalis, Newaukum, Satsop and Wynoochee.
Junior rights holders will still be able to divert water for home use or to water livestock.
“Each summer, we are reminded that water is a precious, limited resource. One of the best water management tools for protecting stream flows is to set minimum flow levels in regulation,” noted a press release sent by David Bennett, southern region communication director for the Washington Department of Ecology.
The release noted that the minimum instream flow is set in order to ensure that sufficient water is available to protect and preserve migrating fish, wildlife, recreation, aesthetics, water quality and navigation.
Instream flow levels on the Newaukum and Wynoochee rivers are both currently below the minimum level, so junior surface water rights holders have been ordered to curtail their commercial water use immediately. Junior water rights holders on the Chehalis and Satsop have been advised to stay updated on the instream flows in those rivers.
Although temperatures have dropped in recent weeks and a bit of rain has fallen, the Department of Ecology expects that stream flows will continue to decrease through the late-summer as snowpacks vanish.
Up-to-date information on instream flow on the Lower Chehalis River can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/y784sjev. Flow information on the Upper Chehalis River can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ydyrb7so, and information on instream flow on the Newaukum River can be found at https://tinyurl.com/yd2q5lhr.
