Overview:

In 2007, the Port of Illahee received a Centennial Clean Water Fund grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology.  A steering committee and a working group was organized and implemented the various facets of the grant.  The following project description provides a summary overview of the grant objectives and goals:
The Port, Kitsap County, and an engineering firm (selected through a bidding process set by the committee), will develop a comprehensive regional Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP) that addresses resource protection, water quality, land and water use, correction of existing stormwater problems and prevention of future water quality and critical habitat degradation from nonpoint pollution. This project will benefit the 820-acre Illahee watershed within the Port District boundaries. The goal of the SWMP is to identify how stormwater will be managed to protect water quality and critical habitat in the face of previous and ongoing development within the watershed.

The project includes watershed and basin assessments, drainage studies, aquifer protection, and a monitoring program to identify water quality and water flow problems that will define thresholds for initiation of management responses. The Port of Illahee, in cooperation with Kitsap County, Kitsap County Health District, and the Illahee Forest Preserve Group, will initially amalgamate data, planning documents, and maps from past efforts and Ecology’s EIMS. The SWMP will then employ a watershed planning approach that will include analysis of existing and future land use conditions, hydrology, sensitive area protection, management strategies, low-impact solutions, highest priority projects; evaluate operation, maintenance, performance standards, and financing requirements.  The Port, with support from Kitsap County, will provide an education and public outreach component.