Colville National Forest Centennial
October 2007

Maintaining Clean Water
by Bert Wasson, Forest Hydrologist

Running a national forest isn't the easiest job, not with all the competing demands the public makes of its forest. Often overlooked, however, is that most of us want many of the same things from our forest -- things like clean water, abundant wildlife, recreational opportunity, useful wood and a legacy to leave future generations.

This month's article celebrating the Colville National Forest Centennial highlights clean water. On March 1, 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt signed a proclamation setting aside areas of forested public land in Northeastern Washington as a public reserve for the benefit of all the people. This action came a few years after the Organic Act of 1897 which authorizes the President to set aside national forests for the improvement and protection of the forest, to secure favorable conditions of water flows and, to furnish a continuous supply of timber.

National forests often occupy the headwaters of major watersheds and therefore have the responsibility to protect water quality and provide favorable flows for downstream water users. The Colville National Forest occupies 1.1 million acres in Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties in Northeastern Washington and is a major source of clean water, both surface and groundwater, to local communities and the Columbia River. This is why water quality standards on the national forest are twice as stringent as on private property.

The Multiple Use and Sustained Yield Act and the Clean Water Act affirm that water production is a primary use of national forests and that forest management activities must be designed to protect the quality of the water to State and Federal standards. At all levels of the Forest Service, there are strategic goals of maintaining and improving watershed and stream bank conditions for water quality and a favorable volume of flow. These goals include watershed improvement projects designed to minimize sedimentation and improve water quality through minimizing pollution. The projects include road relocations, livestock grazing management, stream bank vegetation plantings, and culvert replacements.

As various activities are implemented on the Forest, a suite of Best Management Practices are prescribed during project planning. Guidelines include conserving topsoil on road projects, building drivable drainage dips on new roads, hardening stream crossings, and installing off-channel watering troughs.

Learning how to keep water clean is important to both adults and our youth who will someday be asked to make decisions about land and water resources. Contact the Colville National Forest (509-684-7000), http://wwwtest.fs.fed.us/r6/colville/2007-contactus/) for information on educational events such as the fall Water Festival, spring 6th Grade Tour, and seminars on total maximum daily sediment load.

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