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DNR says public waters inventory work funded, five staff hired; tribal consultation ongoing
Summary
The Department of Natural Resources told lawmakers the public waters inventory update remains funded and underway, estimating about $81 million a year for eight years, hiring five FTEs and developing a desktop tool for county review; tribal consultation and decisions about whether to include reservation waters remain unresolved.
Representative Tim Purcell asked the DNR for a status report on the public waters inventory (PWI) work funded by the Legislature. Assistant Commissioner Bob Meyer and staff said the project still has funding but requires more work before broad field rollout.
“We estimated that’s going to cost us about $81,000,000 a year for 8 years to get the work done,” Meyer told the committee, describing the agency’s estimate of the scale of the PWI effort and the timeline the department has been preparing for.
Meyer said the department has hired five staff for the review team and is developing a desktop tool with the state’s information technology office for county reviewers; he told lawmakers the tool should be available for testing in March. He said tribal consultation is underway because some bands are asking that the PWI not include on‑reservation waters, and that the department is developing training materials and a technical manual for reviewers.
Meyer said the DNR is considering whether to begin work in areas where prior reviews (such as 2017 PWI removals or less complex drainage areas) would permit a manageable early phase. The department committed to provide the committee with updates on rollout timing and said work would be scheduled with caution in places that present “bumpy spots.”
No formal vote was taken; the committee expects DNR to return with more detailed timing and rollout plans.
