The Puget Sound Watershed Characterization Project – landscape scale assessments of watershed processes and habitats to inform regional and local planning
Presentation Abstract
Watersheds typically contain multiple jurisdictions that independently develop land use plans which primarily rely on reach and site specific regulations to protect aquatic resources. This fragmented planning approach largely fails to address the condition of physical processes operating at a watershed scale that drive and sustain aquatic ecosystems at the site and reach scale. Though both the scientific understanding of watersheds at the landscape scale and assessment methods for characterizing them have rapidly advanced, incorporation of this information into reach and site scale planning has been slow. The Puget Sound Characterization Project , lead by the Washington Departments of Ecology and Fish and Wildlife, offers a model of how local governments working in conjunction with scientists from state regulatory agencies can begin to effectively incorporate watershed scale information into local land use plans. The Puget Sound Watershed Characterization Project has developed a series of coarse-scale assessments at the watershed scale of the relative value of water flow and water quality processes1, and habitats (terrestrial, freshwater (lotic), and marine shorelines)2 throughout Puget Sound. These assessment results have been applied by local governments at both a local and regional scale for sub-area plans, in lieu fee and transfer of development rights plans, stormwater retrofit plans and other efforts by local governments to protect and restore areas critical to watershed processes and functions. A website, web-map tool and users guide3 have been developed to improve access to the geospatial data, and provide a framework which guides local and regional planners in the use of the assessments for their own planning purposes. 1Volume 1: The Water Resources Assessments (Water Flow and Water Quality) 2Volume 2: A Coarse-Scale Assessment of the Relative Value of Small Drainage Areas for the Conservation for Terrestrial and Freshwater Habitats in the Puget Sound Basin 3Volume 3: Users Guide for Puget Sound Watershed Characterization (Draft)
Session Title
Session S-06G: Integrating Landscape Scale Assessments Into Local Planning I
Conference Track
Planning Assessment & Communication
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 1:30 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 3:00 PM
Location
Room 6E
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Regional planning--Washington (State)--Puget Sound Watershed; Hydrologic models--Washington (State)--Puget Sound Watershed; Habitat (Ecology)--Washington (State)--Puget Sound Watershed
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound Watershed (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
The Puget Sound Watershed Characterization Project – landscape scale assessments of watershed processes and habitats to inform regional and local planning
Room 6E
Watersheds typically contain multiple jurisdictions that independently develop land use plans which primarily rely on reach and site specific regulations to protect aquatic resources. This fragmented planning approach largely fails to address the condition of physical processes operating at a watershed scale that drive and sustain aquatic ecosystems at the site and reach scale. Though both the scientific understanding of watersheds at the landscape scale and assessment methods for characterizing them have rapidly advanced, incorporation of this information into reach and site scale planning has been slow. The Puget Sound Characterization Project , lead by the Washington Departments of Ecology and Fish and Wildlife, offers a model of how local governments working in conjunction with scientists from state regulatory agencies can begin to effectively incorporate watershed scale information into local land use plans. The Puget Sound Watershed Characterization Project has developed a series of coarse-scale assessments at the watershed scale of the relative value of water flow and water quality processes1, and habitats (terrestrial, freshwater (lotic), and marine shorelines)2 throughout Puget Sound. These assessment results have been applied by local governments at both a local and regional scale for sub-area plans, in lieu fee and transfer of development rights plans, stormwater retrofit plans and other efforts by local governments to protect and restore areas critical to watershed processes and functions. A website, web-map tool and users guide3 have been developed to improve access to the geospatial data, and provide a framework which guides local and regional planners in the use of the assessments for their own planning purposes. 1Volume 1: The Water Resources Assessments (Water Flow and Water Quality) 2Volume 2: A Coarse-Scale Assessment of the Relative Value of Small Drainage Areas for the Conservation for Terrestrial and Freshwater Habitats in the Puget Sound Basin 3Volume 3: Users Guide for Puget Sound Watershed Characterization (Draft)
