CHIMACUM — A state Department of Ecology water management plan aimed at a secure water supply for future fish habitat, farms and people has some wondering about the future of farms and property values in the soil-rich Chimacum Valley, where the plan limits water use to indoors only and 500 gallons a day.
Four years after North Olympic Peninsula state lawmakers ordered the state Department of Ecology to listen better to county residents and come up with another version of an in-stream flow rule, Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant on Monday approved a new water management rule for East Jefferson County.
It takes effect Dec. 31.
Like the original version, the new rule raises concerns from real estate and agricultural interests about its strict limits on water use, saying that they will restrict new farming operations and hurt property values in the fertile Chimacum Valley, or sub-basin, as Ecology calls it.
“There aren’t going to be any new farms or watered lawns in the Chimacum Valley with this,” said Bill Graham, Jefferson County Public Utility District water resources manager and a planning unit member for the Water Resource Inventory Area 17, which covers the Quilcene-Snow Creek watershed.
He said the rule will likely allow one new farm in the Snow Creek watershed, but will limit other new farms elsewhere in the county.
The WRIA 17 planning unit will have to come up with some creative solutions in Chimacum Valley.
“It’s going to affect property values and everyone will pay with higher property taxes,” Graham said.
Teren MacLeod, real estate representative on the WRIA 17 planning unit, said the rule “goes way beyond property values.”
“This lessens the quality of life, as well as property values,” MacLeod said. “It creates two different classes of property — the haves and the have nots.
“If you want to close down a community that wants to feed itself, this is a good first step.”
Details of rule
The rule encompasses most of the Quilcene-Snow watershed. It applies to those seeking new ground and surface water uses starting Dec. 31.
It protects existing water users, whose rights would otherwise be at risk without this rule, Ecology has said.
The water management rule includes the following provisions:
• A conservation standard of 500 gallons per day for all permit-exempt well uses in most sub-basins.
• Limiting use of the reserve in Chimacum sub-basin to domestic, or indoor use only.
• Allowing processing of new water rights for municipal, agricultural or industrial use in three river sub-basins — Thorndyke, Big Quilcene and Little Quilcene.
• Require metering of all new appropriations throughout the area covered by the rule.
• Set in-stream flows on 13 streams in 11 sub-basins.
• Close or seasonally close the same sub-basins.
• Establish reserves of water for future use in the sub-basins.
• Specify conditions of use for water in the reserves.
• Allowing some expanded use of the groundwater exemption for commercial agriculture in three sub-basins.
The in-stream flow rule is intended to balance current and future demands for water with protection of valuable natural resources.
Water supplies stressed
Ecology officials said research shows that low stream flows, endangered populations of fish and anticipated demands for more water to support agriculture and new homes are some of the factors stressing local water supplies in the Quilcene-Snow watershed of 13 streams in 11 sub-basins.
In signing the proposal, Sturdevant said the competition for water in a water-limited basin could create a “collision of needs” if water-smart strategies aren’t developed and implemented.
“When there’s not enough water in a basin for everyone’s needs to be met, the only option is to better manage the water you’ve got, or risk a train wreck between the competing needs,” he said.
“Ecology is trying to manage limited water supplies in ways that protect fish and allow for both existing uses and future growth and avoids train wrecks. We think this new rule does that,” Sturdevant added.
Ecology will continue working with local governments to help the community develop new sources of water, particularly for those sub-basins with limited or no reserves of water for allocation after the rule takes effect, said Ann Wessel, Ecology’s in-stream flow rules coordinator.
New appropriations
Tom Loranger, Ecology’s water resource section manager, said that while 500 gallon per day limits apply to reserve area rivers with limited supplies to protect fish habitat, the Quimper and Miller peninsulas of East County still allow 5,000 gallon a day limits.
“What this rule does is provide water for water rights for three basins where we didn’t have water rights before,” Loranger said of the Little Quilcene, Big Quilcene and Thorndyke.
“These are new appropriations of water.”
Wessel said the state was “looking at overriding consideration of public interest” with the new water management plan.
“In Chimacum there’s already very low flows, and we have endangered [fish] species there,” Wessel said. “We could not justify allocating any more new water for Chimacum.”
Katherine Baril, Washington State University extension director in Port Hadlock, said WSU’s food and farm program would evaluate the new rule and work with other agencies to come up with future solutions.
“Each farmer will be in a different situation, depending on the farm or crop,” Baril said.
“The farmers will continue to do their good work because they are creative and think that such steps are good for salmon and the community.”
Baril said soils in the Chimacum Valley make it prime farmland compared to the less-fertile soils on the Quimper and Miller peninsulas.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
