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Kittitas County Public Health Office Agenda Staff Report AGENDA DATE: 12/4/2018 ACTION REQUESTED: Staff requests approval of Aspect Consulting contract # 21 for ongoing project assistance in 2019. BACKGROUND: The Kittitas County Water Resources Program has multiple projects in queue that require technical assistance from Aspect Consulting. The primary projects for 2019 are the "Above KRD" permitting effort and the forward mitigation permit for the Teanaway. This proposal for $17,500 is for the first quarter of 2019. After discussion with the County finance manager, there are 2 options for funding this proposal at this time. The first, is to fund this proposal out of the County General Fund. The second, to use one of the County's "in-lieu" fee accounts designated for Watershed Management. As part of the County's original OTC program proposal to the Water Transfer Working Group, the County committed to collecting $500 ( $250 to each) per mitigation certificate to direct into a Watershed Management account and a Water Supply account. In the proposal the County outlined what the Watershed Management money should be used for: (A)Watershed Management. The Watershed Management program will utilize the funds to (1) assist the County, Ecology, and other Yakima Basin stakeholders in data collection and other work necessary to make management determinations in yellow zone sub-basins for all existing water banks throughout the County; and (2) to invest in tributary headwaters riparian corridor projects where such projects would provide functional in-kind restoration of stream flow conditions. With regard to the data collection element of the Watershed Management Program, many areas impacted by the County’s regulations and the Upper County Rule lack good information to make appropriate management decisions. In those cases, the lack of information may result in over-cautious management decisions or no decisions at all. The sub-basins will be prioritized based on current levels for rural users and historic demand trends for new users. The funds will be utilized to determine whether stream flows in the yellow zones are detrimentally affected by a reduction in stream flow resulting from new ground water extractions. One of the objectives of this program is to gather information to potentially re-classify yellow zones for all existing water banks as red or green with regard the County’s portfolio of trust water rights available for mitigation. There may be additional restrictions for any use that is subject to the “Exchange Agreement” between Reclamation and Ecology (see “Long-Term Water Storage and Exchange Agreement between the United States and the State of Washington Department of Ecology” Contract No. 09xx101700). With regard to the riparian corridor projects element of the Watershed Management program, the County will disburse funds to the Kittitas Conservation Trust, Forterra, or other recipients agreed to by Ecology and the County, for the exclusive purpose of funding flood plain function and riparian condition improvements in the Yakima River tributaries in Kittitas County. Staff is seeking BOCC recommendation on a funding source for this contract based on the information presented. INTERACTION: RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Aspect Consulting contract # 21 for ongoing project assistance in 2019.