WRIA 1: Water Resource Inventory Area No. 1, Water Management Project

1. About the Project
2. Structure

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Structure

The WRIA 1 planning process is somewhat complex, and is a little easier to understand if you look at the Structure and Function Document and a companion diagram**.

In October of 1998, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) initiated the planning process.  This MOA was signed by four of the five Initiating Governments.  Later, the Nooksack Tribe submitted a Letter of Agreement.  In the case of WRIA 1, the Initiating Governments are:

• City of Bellingham
• Lummi Nation
• Nooksack Tribe
• Public Utility District No. 1
• Whatcom County 

The Initiating Governments established the Planning Unit to ensure representation of a broad range of water resource interests.  There are 16 caucuses representing government and non-government water interests on the WRIA 1 Planning Unit.  In 1999, an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) created the Joint Board, which is comprised of representatives of the Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the Public Utility District No. 1.  Pursuant to the October 1998 MOA, this ILA further formalized the government-to-government relationship essential to the tribes’ participation in the process.

The Planning Unit’s role is to recommend actions for a Watershed Plan and to contribute knowledge, interests, technical expertise, and other resources to its development.  The Planning Unit is made up of representatives from the Initiating Governments, other governments, and various caucuses.

The primary role of the Initiating Governments is to review the recommended Watershed Plan, recommend it for approval by the governments’ councils, and handle administrative items such as contracts and budgets.  In the WRIA 1, the Initiating Governments are Whatcom County, City of Bellingham, Public Utility District No. 1, Lummi Nation, and Nooksack Tribe.  The Initiating Governments have created a Joint Board to handle the project’s administrative functions.  After the Initiating Governments and the Planning Unit make recommendations about the final watershed plan, the elected councils of the Initiating Governments will make the final decision about whether to approve the plan.