County, towns update shoreline management

Whitman County and the towns of Albion, Colfax, Malden, Palouse, Pullman, Rosalia and Tekoa, working as a coalition, are in the early stages of jointly updating existing Shoreline Master Programs per requirements of the state Department Of Ecology.

A master program (SMP) is a locally prepared set of policies and regulations required by state law that encourages appropriate shoreline development, promote public access and provides environmental protection.

County shorelines include the Snake and Palouse rivers, Union Flat, Cottonwood, Rock, Fourmile, Latah and Pine creeks and Rock Lake, among others.

An SMP primarily regulates new shoreline development. Existing uses and agriculture would be allowed to continue.

As a first step in this two-year process, the coalition will be preparing a comprehensive map and shoreline analysis report. In the fall of 2014, this information will be used to prepare a draft set of updated regulations governing the area within shoreline jurisdiction.

The coalition is requesting citizens’ help in getting relevant existing physical and biological information regarding shoreline waters, associated riparian and wetland areas and other key watershed or basin information.

The county Department of Public Works is interested in any and all inventories of shoreline conditions or modifications, assessments, water quality analyses, and/or fish and wildlife distribution and habitat information, as well as parks and recreation plan or other land use plans.

The department is hoping to complete the analysis of information by March 2014.

The coalition established a web site for this project that will be updated frequently with important meeting dates. For more information, contact Jerry Basler, 509-397-5209, or email [email protected].