Conservation Districts (CDs) are governmental subdivisions of the state
and are a public bodies exercising public powers. They are governed by RCW 89.08.pdf. CDs are a form
of a local government special purpose district, like the port district,
school districts, fire districts, etc. CDs are not state agencies, nor
are they part of county or city governments.
- Conservation Districts are led by a five-member board of volunteer
supervisors – three elected by the popular vote by registered voters
within the district, and two appointed by the state’s conservation
agency, the Conservation Commission.
- Conservation Districts are given broad authority by state law and can tackle just about any problem related to the natural
environment. CDs are involved in issues ranging from prevention of
groundwater contamination, to stream improvement for endangered salmon,
to dairy waste management, to stream bank stabilization, to forestland
improvement, to irrigation water management, to air quality (blowing
dust), and to erosion control on dry land farms. The primary
constraint is having adequate funding to meet the natural resource
conservation needs of the district.
- Uniquely, conservation districts have the authority to design and
apply on-the-ground solutions to non-point water quality problems on
privately agricultural lands.
- Conservation districts are non-regulatory and fulfill an important
role as an intermediary to resolve water quality problems before they
result in regulatory action by other governmental entities.
- Districts often have a proactive outreach program to schools. They
work to instill a long-term conservation ethic in our citizens by
beginning to teach it in elementary school.
- In order to better meet the natural resource conservation needs of
their district, District Supervisors have authority under state law to
propose to their County Commissioners the enactment of a special
assessment to be added to the property tax on lands within the district
that benefit from district activities. This assessment must be approved
by the county legislative authority before it is implemented. CDs do not have independent taxing authority.
