Water Resources

Jefferson County was an active participant in local watershed planning for the stewardship of our natural resources. There are 4 Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIA) with a major portion within Jefferson County, and 3 in which the County took an active role:
  • WRIA 16 - Skokomish/Dosewallips
  • WRIA 17 - Quilcene/Snow
  • WRIA 20 - Sol Duc/Hoh
  • WRIA 21 - Queets/Quinault (No planning activities at this time)
Water resources planning in WRIA 17 - Quilcene/Snow was accomplished by the East Jefferson Watershed Council, which is no longer active. An educational Guide to WRIA 17 was produced with background information. The reports produced for WRIA 17 include:

Quilcene/Snow Water Resources Management Rule (Instream Flow)

The Quilcene/Snow Creek watershed has an instream flow rule established in 2009. This includes the Chimacum Creek subbasin. See the Washington Administrative Code Chapter 173-517 WAC. The Washington Department of Ecology produced factsheets about the rule, listed below. Some of these may be outdated - Please consult Ecology for current information.

Department of Ecology Streamflow Restoration

The Department of Ecology maintains information on all of the WRIAs at their Streamflow Restoration website. Use the navigation links at the Ecology website to find out information on Water Availability, Wells and Water Rights.

Hood Canal

View the WRIA 16/14b Hood Canal educational piece, "Under the Hood" Publication (PDF).
thumbnail image of the Under the Hood publication