Quilcene-Snow Watershed Wetted Width Study

Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff used the wetted width, or wetted perimeter, method in the Quilcene-Snow watershed during 2003 and 2004 as part of watershed planning and instream flow setting. Data was gathered by representatives of WDFW and Jefferson County at 8 sites approximately once a month for a year in an attempt to determine adequate rearing and migration flows. At several transects an inflection point was clearly evident. This information helped state agencies and planning unit members develop instream flows which will eventually be incorporated into state regulation as directed by the Watershed Planning Act, RCW 90.82, and House Bill 2514 passed by the state Legislature.

Acknowledgements and thanks go to Hal Beecher who conceived the study and initiated it; Jefferson County staff David Christiansen, Gabrielle LaRoche, and Craig Schrader, who assisted with field time. Thanks also go to state employees Tiffany Hicks, Steve Boessow, Debby Sargeant, and Jim Pacheco who assisted with field work. Thanks also to landowners who generously gave us permission to access their land and to Department of Ecology for funding this project.