Watershed Protection

Watershed protection often requires partnerships to be successful. This page includes presentations and resources from watershed workshops that demonstrate opportunities to work with others to protect drinking water.

Land Management and Wildfire Planning to Protect Drinking Water—Webinar Series 2020

These webinars provide utilities with resources and contacts that help in preparing for emergencies, along with specific activities to engage in. Emergency response officials and land managers will better understand the interdependencies between the utility and watershed and how they can work with utilities to promote source water protection before, during, and following response activities.

Webinar 1: Planning for Wildfire.
Webinar recording on RCAC webpage.
Presentations: EPA, EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

Webinar 2: Forest Land Management.
Webinar Recording on RCAC webpage.
Presentations: USFS Overview, Regional BAER Coordinator, Okanogan/Wenatchee National Forest, Washington Department of Natural Resources.

Webinar 3: During and After the Fire.
Webinar Recording on RCAC webpage.
Presentations: City of The Dalles, Funding Matrix.

Clean Drinking Water Starts Upstream Workshops

In 2018, EPA sponsored a series of watershed workshops with land practitioners like the conservation district, salmon restoration entities, Tribal staff, Forest Service, county staff, and drinking water utilities from targeted watersheds. They discussed collaborative opportunities to improve water quality for drinking water and fish in watersheds. In addition to presentations and group discussion, each workshop included a tour of a water treatment plant in order to introduce land practitioners to the complex processes of making safe water. A funding matrix (Word) for source water protection was developed to help utilities and practitioners identify restoration and source water protection funding sources. Below are the presentations and summaries from each of the Workshop locations.

Wenatchee Workshop

Wenatchee workshop Presentations: Office of Drinking Water (PDF), City of Leavenworth (PDF), Chelan County (PDF) and Cascadia Conservation District (PDF)

Wenatchee workshop Summary (Word)

Raymond Workshop

Raymond workshop Presentations: Office of Drinking Water (PDF), Department of Ecology (PDF), and Coast Salmon Partnership (PDF)

Raymond workshop Summary (PDF)

Chehalis Workshop

Chehalis workshop Presentations: Office of Drinking Water (PDF), Department of Ecology (PDF), and Coast Salmon Partnership (PDF)

Chehalis workshop Summary (PDF)

Mt. Vernon Workshop

Mt. Vernon workshop Presentations: Anacortes (PDF), Arlington(PDF), Department of Natural Resources (PDF), Drinking Water Providers Partnership (PDF), Office of Drinking Water (PDF), and Skagit County (PDF)

Mt Vernon workshop Summary (PDF)

2014 Watershed Protection Workshop

In December 2014 the Office of Drinking Water (ODW) sponsored a workshop for water systems with forested land. This event gave participants tools to help them better understand and protect their watersheds, and of the regulatory framework that can affect a watershed. The workshop was a partnership between ODW, the departments of Natural Resources and Ecology, and the University of Washington's School of Public Health.

Telling the Watershed Protection Story

This 3 minute video shows the importance of source water protection for drinking water systems. It features Kathleen Cahall, Water Resources Manager for the City of Bremerton, and Office of Drinking Water staff. Bremerton owns the watershed that supplies its drinking water, so they have complete control over what activities take place in this pristine location. Bremerton and Seattle are the only unfiltered surface water systems in our state.