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3 Kittitas County Local Environment <br />3.7.7 Overview <br />Kittitas County is located in central Washington and bound by the Cascade Mountains to the west <br />and the Columbia River to the east. More than 7O% of the County is publicly owned. <br />Approximately two thirds of the public lands are managed by federal agencies including the USFS <br />(Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest) and the U.S. Army (Yakima Training Center). The remaining <br />one third of publicly owned land is split primarily between DNR and the Washington Department of <br />Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Private lands are highly influenced by the availability of irrigation water in <br />Kittitas County. Like the rest of the Yakima River watershed, irrigation infrastructure including <br />reservoirs and delivery systems, maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, irrigation districts, <br />and companies, provide water to agricultural lands allowing for significant crop production. <br />Additionally, private lands are influenced by significant winds, especially in the Kittitas Valley. <br />Kittitas County includes portions of three watersheds, which are known as Water Resource lnventory <br />Areas (WRlAs). Most of Kittitas County is within the Upper Yakima (WRIA 39), which drains into the <br />Yakima River, and a small portion of the eastern county is in the Alkali-Squilchuck (WRIA 40), which drains <br />into the Columbia River. Additionally, a small portion of the county is within the Naches (WRIA 38). <br />9Community Wildfire Protection Plan September 2018