County Spotlight: A success story in collaborative resource management

Published 1:30 am Thursday, September 25, 2025

“Collaboration” is a common phrase in local government, and for good reason. It is nearly impossible to do any big thing without working collaboratively with multiple partners.

In practice, collaboration is very difficult. Every partner at a given table has priorities, constraints and personalities which may be in conflict. It can be a challenge to define common ground, develop shared goals and then to work together in a productive fashion to achieve a result for the public good.

One collaborative success story that everyone in our neck of the woods should know more about is the Dungeness River Management Team. The DRMT is a partnership of farmers, shoreline property owners, local governments, conservationists and others working together to develop and pursue implementation of locally-based, long-term solutions to Dungeness Watershed management issues.

For example, this month the conversation at the regular public meeting of the DRMT focused on the drought that was declared for the Dungeness Watershed on June 5th of this year.

The group discussed impacts of several strategies that have been developed by members of the DRMT to help to keep sufficient water flowing in the Dungeness River to support the health of multiple species of endangered salmon.

One strategy employed during previous droughts is a “dry lease.” Essentially, this is where farmers are paid not to irrigate crops they otherwise would have been growing. This allows water to remain in the river rather than being diverted to irrigation use. The Washington Water Trust, a nonprofit organization that assists with water management activities across the state, worked hard to obtain private funding while the Clallam Conservation District pursued funding from the Department of Ecology; together this generated $450,000 to support farmers while allowing an additional 8.2 cubic feet/second of water to remain in the river to support fish populations.

A newer strategy that DRMT partners have developed and continue to refine is a “pulse flow.” A pulse flow is intended to replicate a rain event that would temporarily increase river flow. In non-drought years it is typical that an August rain event might “swell” the river level for several days, which allows salmon the opportunity to swim upriver to their spawning grounds.

When we are in a drought and there are no rain events sufficient to create these temporary surges, irrigators and farmers are coordinating to turn off their intakes of irrigation water for 18- or 24-hour periods.

These pulse flows result in more than 22 cubic feet/second of water remaining in the river to support salmon.

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe has partnered with the Washington Conservation Corps to do work in the river itself to provide spots for salmon to congregate and travel when river levels are extremely low; for example, deploying temporary “aqua dams” to create deeper pools. This kind of effort is vital not just for the fish, but also for the farmers as it underscores that the effort to improve fish habitat is in fact collaborative, relying on all partners for active participation.

The WSU Extension and the Clallam Conservation District, meanwhile, both work actively with farms of all sizes to provide resources and encourage strategies related to water conservation. Citizen-led groups like Protect the Peninsula’s Future are helping to educate the broader public through signage and events, with a “river monitoring” app for mobile devices in development.

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is taking the lead in monitoring the impacts of these collective efforts. Last year the Chinook run in the Dungeness River was about two times the anticipated return which is certainly a positive initial indicator of success. This year the Tribe is doubling its investment in this monitoring effort to provide improved data for future decision-making.

Those who work statewide have told this group that the Dungeness region is the most-prepared, most coordinated, and most collaborative region in the state around drought response. Let’s thank the many individuals who have volunteered their time and talents to the DRMT for nearly 40 years for making this reality.