Help for water management

Published 9:42 pm Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Puget Sound area’s population has shot up by 60 percent since the early 1970s, but many local governments are still using decades-old plans to manage their creek, lake and Sound shorelines.

The state Department of Ecology is sending $6.3 million in grant money to 70 local governments during the next couple of years to help them catch up.

Three-quarters of a million dollars are flowing to a dozen Snohomish County cities and towns this year. The grants vary from $30,000 in Brier to $125,000 each for Bothell and Snohomish. Other cities getting money are Arlington, Lake Stevens and Stanwood, Granite Falls, Mountlake Terrace and Mukilteo.

“There are a lot of environmental as well as economic benefits,” Ecology Department spokesman Curt Hart said. “It helps new development so it’s not put into areas that are prone to landslides or the floodplain.”

The long-term plans are required by the Shoreline Management Act, which Washington voters passed in 1972. The goal is to protect water quality, prevent erosion and preserve habitat. Communities devise plans to guide ports, ferry terminals, housing developments and parks along local waterways.

In past years, Snohomish County has received $624,000, Marysville $60,000 and Darrington $54,000 in state grants for their shoreline plans.

Snohomish County’s population has grown nearly 21/2 times larger since 1970, from 265,000 to about 700,000 today.

To learn more about the Shoreline Management Act, go to www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/sma/index.html.

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.