The Town of Eatonville, located between the Mashel River and Lynch Creek in south Pierce County, received a grant to update its draft Stormwater Management Program (2003 Program). The Comprehensive Stormwater Plan was developed on the premise that addressing stormwater in Eatonville is a critical part of salmon habitat restoration in the Mashel River, Ohop Creek and Lynch Creek. The Town is uniquely located in a critical area for salmon habitat and watershed health, and the Mashel River and Ohop Creek are the two highest priority salmon bearing tributaries to the Nisqually River. The Mashel River has low flows in the summer and early fall causing the river to be too warm for young fish and too low for adult fish to migrate upstream. The goal of this initiative is to complete the six priority capital improvement projects identified as critical for water quality and solving issues associated with drainage. Please refer to the full plan for more details: https://srp.rco.wa.gov/project/220/14472.

In addition to completing the Comprehensive Stormwater Plan, this initiative aims to develop an alternate water supply for the Town of Eatonville. With the Town's 400,000 gallon per day drinking water coming from the Mashel River and four other ground wells, this can put a strain on the base flows of the river. This is especially true in summer months when flows are especially low