It is the purpose and intent of this regional comprehensive plan to refine and to further the objectives of the Clallam County Comprehensive Plan, in this title. This regional plan provides a guide for coordinated and orderly growth and development of the land and physical improvements in the unincorporated areas of the Port Angeles regional planning area. The Port Angeles regional planning area shares its boundaries with the Port Angeles School District and is generally described as the area west of Siebert Creek and east of Lake Sutherland and excluding the area within the Crescent School District. The Port Angeles watershed, as defined for this study, encompasses a portion of the Dungeness watershed (Siebert and Bagley creeks), and all the drainage basin to just west of the Elwha River. It drains from the high ridges of the Olympic Range to Port Angeles Harbor and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Included in this watershed are Bagley Creek, Siebert Creek, Morse Creek, Lee’s Creek, Ennis Creek, Peabody Creek, Valley Creek, Tumwater Creek, Dry Creek, and the Elwha River drainages.

The Port Angeles Regional Comprehensive Plan was developed by 67 people, representing various interest groups, organizations, neighborhoods, and tribal and other government agencies. These 67 people formed five separate subcommittees to write the Plan: affordable housing, transportation, capital facilities, economic development, and land use and watershed subcommittees. Additionally, the Growth Management Steering Committee continuously monitored and reviewed progress on the Comprehensive Plan.

The individuals on the subcommittees volunteered their time over approximately 15 months to study background information, discuss community issues, set goals for the future, brainstorm solutions, and communicate with constituent groups. The subcommittee volunteers also took time to learn what the community wanted for the future, through informal discussions with their neighbors and colleagues, and by hosting public meetings in neighborhood granges and halls to discuss their ideas and listen to the responses.

This plan contains goals and policies for watershed management as defined under Chapter 400-12 WAC, the Nonpoint Rule, to implement the Puget Sound Water Quality Management Plan. The watershed plan provides for education, incentives, and regulatory approaches to preventing and controlling cumulative effects from diffuse sources of pollution across the watershed landscape. Within the comprehensive plan, these watershed actions have been identified with a droplet symbol – “ ”. As a watershed, the Port Angeles region consists of overlapping governmental jurisdictions which have responsibility for managing water-related resources under various mandates. Tribal, federal, State, and local entities were invited to participate and were informed about the Plan through their subcommittee representative. In addition, each entity in the watershed with responsibility for action under the Plan has written a letter of concurrence indicating their acceptance of those responsibilities (see Appendix C, on file in the Department of Community Development).