Western Outdoor Times - Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!

OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has launched a streamlined application system for state hydraulic approval permits, which have played a key role in protecting fish populations for the past 70 years.

Program managers say the new online system makes it easier to apply for - and monitor - Hydraulic Project Approvals (HPA), a state permit required for construction projects and certain other activities in or near state waters.

For a start, the new Aquatic Protection Permitting System reduces the standard HPA application from 14 pages to three, said Lisa Veneroso, ass...