(1) The legislature, in enacting chapter 90.82 RCW, required that strategies for increasing water supplies must be developed as part of the watershed plans. Such strategies may also be implemented through the watershed planning process. WAC 173-546-070 provides a limited reservation of water for specific new uses in the Entiat River basin. However, the ongoing need for reliable sources of new water continues. This need dictates the continued development and use of alternative sources of water, such as:

• Multipurpose water storage facilities;

• Conservation and efficiency measures applied to existing uses and the transfer of saved water; and

• Acquisition, leasing, establishment of a trust water rights program (including water banking).

(2) Alternative sources of water of equal or better quality than the proposed source can be used to improve stream flows for fish, offset impacts of withdrawals on stream flows and provide sources of water for future out-of-stream uses.