| No decision yet on watershed plan 10/12/04 Port Angeles, WA - Lots more complaining, but no decision yet on the controversial “WIRA” watershed plan for Clallam County. Commissioners took an additional two and a half hours of testimony Tuesday in the third and final hearing on the WIRA 18 watershed plan, a massive document that seeks to outline water management for the Elwha and Dungeness watersheds. The additional comments came even though commissioners had already spent about 6 hours taking testimony in two previous hearings. Commissioners have been buried in criticism over WIRA, with developers, builders, well drillers and home owners expressing fears that the plans would develop into difficult regulations that will limit water use and further impact affordable housing. But supporters of the plan say it is better to develop those guidelines at the local level, rather than rejecting the draft and having the state impose its own general rules. Commissioners did decide to extend the deadline for written comments on the plan until this Friday, and plan to meet in a work session next Monday to discuss the next course of action. That could be implementation of the plan as written, rejecting the proposal outright, or remanding it back to the authoring committee for further changes.
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