SEQUIM — Clallam County Commissioner Jim McEntire, in a letter to the state Department of Ecology director overseeing the proposed Dungeness Valley watershed’s in-stream flow rule, asks Ecology for a simpler alternative to a water bank and the administrative costs that come with it.
“The state capital budget can support purchase or lease of additional in-stream flow conservation, and therefore groundwater withdrawal mitigation, obviating the need for a local water bank,” McEntire wrote in a May 1 letter to Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant, who heads the agency that on Wednesday will release a second preliminary in-stream flow rule.
According to the Dungeness Water Users Association, McEntire — who was not speaking for the entire commission — said more conservation projects will yield a substantial additional reductions in Dungeness River water withdrawals, which can be distributed to mitigate groundwater withdrawals.
The Sequim Republican recommends that the Legislature allot one-time funds from its capital budget earmarked for additional water conservation measures, including lining and piping Dungeness Valley irrigation ditches to stem water seepage and evaporation losses, and creating an underground reservoir in which surface water is injected into the ground, commonly called “aquifer recharge.”
A water bank, as Ecology proposes for future homes and businesses that cannot hook up to existing water supplies, would allow them to buy water rights through the Dungeness Water Exchange developed by the Clallam County, Ecology and Washington Water Trust.
Under the proposal, new homes can still be built in areas already served by Clallam County Public Utility District or other small water utilities or communities with existing wells.
The rule would affect the eastern half of Water Resource Inventory Area 18 from Bagley Creek to Sequim Bay.
The in-stream flow rule is intended to protect and preserve water for fish, farmers, residents, wildlife and recreation.
As proposed, it limits water usage by new homeowners and requires metering of new wells to protect water supplies and viable fish habitat during the drought season in the late summer and early fall.
It would not affect existing homes with working wells.
McEntire, who said he supports the rule, calls for “the most appropriate balance of the needs for fish and people, while having the smallest impact on our local economy.”
The first-come, first-served state law covering the individual’s right to beneficially use water means new users must not impair the use of those with water rights who came before them.
Bottom line: If water is scarce, there is not sufficient supply for a new water user to obtain a permit to build a new home.
There is a way, however, to prevent such a water crisis from happening and avoid conflict with economic growth.
About 20 wells existed in 1970 in the Dungeness Valley compared with hundreds today.
“It’s very clear in the statutes that it’s the public that owns the water in the state,” McEntire said.
“The idea to me at least is the try to leave the maximum amount of water in the stream or don’t take it out.
“We have been very successful over the years through conservation.”
McEntire said he has extensively discussed the water bank and general water rule at length with Dungeness Valley home building and real estate representatives.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2390, extension 5052 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
