Title
Approval of a Resolution Authorizing an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Lacey, the City of Yelm, and the Squaxin Island Tribe to Establish the Budd/Deschutes Watershed Environmental Stewardship Coalition
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the Resolution Authorizing an Interlocal Agreement between the City of Olympia, the City of Lacey, the City of Yelm, and the Squaxin Island Tribe to Establish the Budd/Deschutes Watershed Environmental Stewardship Coalition.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve the Resolution authorizing an Interlocal Agreement between the City of Olympia, the City of Lacey, the City of Yelm, and the Squaxin Island Tribe to Establish the Budd/Deschutes Watershed Environmental Stewardship Coalition
Staff Contact:
Rich Hoey, Assistant City Manager, 360.753.8227
Jesse Barham, Water Resources Director, 360.753.8164
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
In 2011, the cities of Olympia, Lacey, Yelm, and the Squaxin Island Tribe created the Budd/Deschutes Watershed Stewardship Coalition. A signing ceremony was held at the Squaxin Tribal Museum and represented the communities all coming together around the health of the Deschutes Watershed. The MOU stemmed from the three cities’ water rights mitigation efforts that had been coordinated with the Squaxin Island Tribe. Through these conversations the three cities and Tribe created the idea of a larger effort focused on Budd Inlet/Deschutes Watershed restoration.
Leading up to the original MOU, all three cities had been seeking approval of water rights for water supplies serving their respective communities. The City of Olympia had been seeking approval to transfer our water rights from McAllister (Medicine) Springs to the new, more protected, McAllister Wellfield. Following development of a comprehensive water rights mitigation plan (including this Agreement), the City’s water right transfer was ultimately approved by the Department of Ecology. Lacey’s water rights applications were also approved by Ecology.
While Yelm’s water rights were also approved by Ecology, this approval was subsequently appealed and eventually overturned by the State Supreme Court. Given that the original MOU was tied to the three cities achieving water right approval (“Final Water Rights”), the implementation of the Deschutes Coalition was put on hold. A decade later in 2022, Yelm’s water right issues were ultimately resolved, and the Coalition is now able to move forward again as originally conceived.
Given the amount of time that had passed, staff from the Tribe and the three cities made several updates and enhancements to the original MOU, including:
• Creation of an Executive Committee (elected officials) and a Technical Workgroup (staff).
• Additional language on how new members can join the Coalition.
• Reiterated the intent to create a strategic plan for the Coalition.
• Identifying that project and fiscal management will be addressed on a project-by-project basis.
• Establishing that the $500K seed money from the three cities (approx., $166K each) will be put in a joint account and invested until the funds are used.
• That administrative support of the Executive Committee will rotate with the chair.
• Creating an initial set of bylaws for the Executive Committee.
Those updates and enhancements are reflected in the attached Interlocal Agreement. Pending approval of the new Interlocal Agreement, a new signing ceremony is planned on July 12th. Additional detail will be forthcoming about this event as it gets closer.
Climate Analysis:
The proposed Budd/Deschutes Watershed Stewardship Coalition will result in restoration projects within sensitive riparian areas of the Deschutes Watershed. These projects will likely include tree and vegetation plantings, wetland restoration/creation, and other actions that will sequester carbon and be supportive of countywide emission reduction goals.
Equity Analysis:
The Budd/Deschutes Watershed Stewardship Coalition is dedicated to fostering the recovery of an abundance of natural resources and the requisite environmental quality at the level necessary to support the culture of Squaxin Island Tribal members, including fishing and shellfish harvest, and that improves the quality of life for all residents of the region.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
There is significant interest within the community around Deschutes Watershed restoration efforts and collaborations with the Squaxin Island Tribe. This agreement is also borne from efforts to develop the McAllister Wellfield drinking water source. The McAllister Wellfield is the City’s main supply of drinking water which benefits the entire community.
Financial Impact:
By approving the Interlocal Agreement, the City will commit $166,666 towards a watershed restoration project(s) that will be recommended by the Coalition Executive Committee and subject to approval by City Council. The City has set aside these funds since the original MOU was approved back in 2011. These funds are available and committed from the Drinking Water Utility capital funds as part of the McAllister Wellfield water rights mitigation efforts.
Options:
1. Approve the Resolution authorizing the Interlocal Agreement as proposed. This will allow the Coalition to move forward as originally conceived back in 2011.
2. Modify the Interlocal Agreement to address any City Council concerns. This will likely delay the signing ceremony and ultimate implementation of the Coalition.
3. Do Not Approve the Resolution authorizing the Interlocal Agreement. This would raise questions and concerns over the City’s commitment to water rights mitigation and Deschutes Watershed restoration efforts.
Attachments:
Resolution
Agreement
2011 Memorandum of Understanding