For the past decade the region's water utilities and local governments have actively implementing programs to enhance aquatic habitats and improve conditions for the regions fish resources. Efforts have varied from participation in the Salmon Recovery Planning for the region's major rivers, to comprehensive water shed management tools such as Habitat Conservation Plans and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission management plans.
Seattle Public Utilities has developed a Habitat Conservation Plan covering its Cedar River Water Supply. Information on the Plan and the Cedar River Watershed is available here. Seattle also uses water from the Tolt River Watershed. Information on the Tolt watershed and related Seattle environmental activities are available here.
While management of the regional water supply is an important element of Seattle's efforts to protect the regions salmon resources, additional activities within the urban area also are designed to protect fish and fish habitat. Seattle maintains a website call Salmon Friendly Seattle that describes its program.
Similarly, Tacoma Public Utilities has developed a Habitat Conservation Plan for its Green River Watershed. Information on the Habitat Conservation Plan is available from TPU. Additional information of the efforts of TPU to protect salmon is available here. In addition, the City of Tacoma also provides information on its salmon recovery program.
The City of Everett's Sultan River water source is managed under a FERC License hell by Snohomish Public Utilities for their Jackson Project. Working closely with Everett the PUD is completing the relicensing process to manage power generation, water supply along with fish and wildlife. The City also provides information on surface water protection.
Much of the salmon recovery work of water utilities was incorporated into the collaborative salmon recovery planning process in response to the Endangered Species Act listing of Chinook salmon. The planning was done by watershed, with specific plans developed for the Snohomish River Watershed, Lake Washington, Cedar River and Sammamish Watershed, and Green/Duwamish Watershed. Snohomish County led the planning effort for the Snohomish River. The Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan can be found here.
Work on the Lake Washington and Green River Watersheds was led by King County. Extensive information on the salmon conservation planning for the Washington, Cedar and Sammamish is available. Likewise information on the Green/Duwamish Watershed conservation planning is also available.
Additional information on aquatic habitat and fish can be found at the following: