SNOQUALMIE, Wash. —Growing concerns over the declining health of the Snoqualmie River prompted an Environmental Emergency declaration by leaders of theSnoqualmie Indian Tribe.
River flow has fallen to record low levels, and minimum targets for instream flows have failed to meet state rules for years, according to Tribal councilmembers, who blame the problems on excessive water use during persistent drought conditions and low snowpack.
Measurements taken at Middle Fork Snoqualmie River show some of the lowest levels in the past 60 years of monitoring. The ecosystems that depend on the Snoqualmie River are, in turn, suffering severe impacts.
The city of Snoqualmie and the Washington State Department of Ecology are contributing to the river’s degradation by allowing the watershed to be drained and diverted to a country club golf course, according to Tribal leaders.
The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge is an exclusive, members-only golf course that uses this water to fill an artificial lake and to irrigate the greens and fairways.
Tribal leaders call these actions wasteful and self-indulgent and come at the expense of a natural and cultural resource.
The Tribe issued the declaration to gain support and participation from government agencies in their attempts to protect and restore river flows.
For centuries the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe has stewarded and safeguarded the watershed, but current conditions now threaten the health, safety, and welfare of the tribe’s members.
The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe is a federally recognized tribe in the Puget Sound region of Washington State.Known as the People of the Moon, Snoqualmie were signatories to the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, according to information provided by the Tribe.
트위터 공유: 강물 감소로 골프장 물 사용 비판