Creating a Regional Approach to Watershed Management in King County, Washington

In an urbanizing watershed, key issues in watershed management such as managing fish habitat, river flooding and water quality are decided primarily by local governments. This is primarily the result of the fact that local governments have land use regulatory authority. The impacts of local land use decisions reach beyond the borders of the individual jurisdiction, affecting the larger watershed of which it is a part. Solutions to watershed issues often lie outside the boundaries of individual jurisdictions. However, there is divided public opinion about spending public funds raised in one jurisdiction in another. One jurisdiction has relatively little control over the decisions of other local jurisdictions. Frequently local priorities take precedent over overall watershed management needs.