May 19, 2005

Chair:             Walt Edelen, Spokane County Conservation District (SCCD)

Present:          Keith Holliday, Department of Ecology

Dee Bailey, Coeur d’Alene Tribe

                        Bill Rickard, City of Spokane, Environmental Programs

                        Peter Grunte, Landowner

Steve Bortfeld, Hangman Hills Water District

Reanette Boese, Spokane County

Bruce Carmack, Landowner

Gary Ostheller, Fairfield Grange

AGENDA/Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m.  The minutes for the April 28, 2005 meeting had been previously distributed for review. The minutes were approved as is.

Early Action Items

Walt distributed a document detailing the changes made to the Early Action Items and recommendations for the Watershed Plan.  These were accepted by the Planning Unit with no further changes.

• The Planning Unit will pursue negotiations with the City of Tekoa, WA to pump additional water into Hangman Creek to augment flows during the critical summer period (July – September).
• The Planning Unit will investigate and implement a series of long-term monitoring wells to evaluate the ground-water level status in the Hangman Creek basin.
• The Planning Unit may provide technical assistance and/or financial assistance to the Tekoa Golf Course with changing or transferring its surface water right, if a right exists and is valid, from Hangman Creek to a more efficient alternate source.
• The Planning Unit may grant the Town of Tekoa financial assistance to partially fund the cost of the infrastructure needed to supply water to the Tekoa Golf Course.  The granting of funds would be contingent upon meeting match and conservation requirements determined by the Planning Unit.
• The Planning Unit may fund restoration/acquisition of high priority riparian shorelines in the watershed.
• The Planning Unit will implement a water quality monitoring program to provide a baseline condition to help indicate potential long-term improvements within the basin.

R11.o. Pursue the reservation of a portion of the Conservation Futures Program to fund the acquisition of high priority riparian shorelines.

Strategy: The Watershed Implementation Team should coordinate with the Spokane County Parks and Recreation Program to discuss the potential and process.

Plan Discussion and Approval

Walt opened discussion of formally approving the plan by the Planning Unit.  Keith Holliday stated that he could not approve the plan without having a final hard copy to review.  The version he had did not include the latest changes for the Early Action Items and recommendations.  Bill Rickard stated the same.  However, both Keith and Bill stated that they could approve the plan later that day if given time to review the plan with the latest changes.  Walt handed out the latest version on CD to everyone. 

The Planning Unit agreed to go to a vote on the plan with the knowledge that the City of Spokane and the State Caucus would approve pending more review that afternoon.

Peter Grunte – Yes

Keith Holliday – No objection, but pending further review

Reanette Boese – Approves to send it on to the County Commisioners

Dee Bailey – Yes

Bill Rickard – Yes, pending further review

Gary Ostheller – Yes

Bruce Carmack – Yes

Walt Edelen – Yes
Steve Bortfeld – Yes (Steve could not attend the meeting that morning, but provided an email stating his approval for the water district).

Both Keith Holliday and Bill Rickard approved the plan later that day.

Plan Submission to County Commissioners

The group began discussions regarding the submittal process and status.  Walt will take the plan to the County Commissioners with the help of Keith Holliday, and County staff. 

1. Complete SEPA checklist with a determination of significance, but will use the EIS developed by Ecology to address potential impacts.  The SEPA will be advertised in the paper for two weeks.  The checklist and the comments received will be added in an appendix to the document.  The SCCD will sponsor the checklist.  The plan will be dated May 19, 2005 to reflect the approval date.
2. Brief County Commissioners.  Walt will work with Ecology and the County to set up briefings to present the plan
3. Public Hearings will be set by the respective local governments to receive comment on the plan.
4. A final meeting with the commissioners will be convened to approve or reject the plan.

Tekoa Golf Course

The Golf Course has a short–term fix and a long range plan.  Ecology has allowed the Golf Course to continue pumping from the creek, while the City of Tekoa discharges water from one of their wells to the creek.

The long-term fix includes the drilling of a new well on municipal ground to supply water to the golf course in the future.  The costs, potential funding, and planning are still being investigated.

Conservation Futures

No news on this program.  Walt is still trying to setup a time where the County Parks and Recreation staff can present more information.  This may occur at the June or July meeting.

High Priority Riparian Areas in Hangman Creek

Walt presented information (draft document) on the erosion inventory the SCCD completed on Hangman Creek.  The document presented initial ideas on the current issues, the potential solutions, priority areas for work, and the potential costs involved.

Bruce Carmack stated that we should be more worried about keeping the water on the landscape.  More sediment basins and improved tillage operations will help resolve the damaging flows.  Walt agreed that those practices are important, but we need to help re-establish vegetation and stabilize some areas in combination of implementing BMPs in the field.  This has to be a watershed wide effort.  We shouldn’t focus on just one area.

Next Meeting

The next meeting is tentatively set for June 14, 2005 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.