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Department of Ecology News Release - March 4, 2008
08-051
ELLENSBURG – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Kittitas County have prepared a draft memorandum of agreement that would guide how decisions are made on residential developments served by exempt wells until more is known about the aquifers and water supplies in northern Kittitas County.
The draft agreement is now available for public review and comment.
Last year, a citizens group petitioned Ecology seeking a temporary moratorium on wells that are exempt from water right permits. Concerns were raised that some developers were drilling exempt wells for multi-home subdivisions when they may need a water right to do so.
In November, as an alternative to the moratorium, the county and Ecology entered into talks to resolve the issue.
The draft agreement calls for a study that will define the hydrogeology of upper Kittitas County. The study will provide information about water availability and the relationship between surface and ground water supplies. Information gathered from the study will be used to develop long-term water management strategies.
The draft agreement outlines interim management measures that would be put in place while the study is under way. Those measures would require new residential developments served by exempt wells to be limited to 5,000 gallons per day for each 40-acres of land for all domestic, lawn, landscaping and non-commercial garden water uses on that land, and would require metering.
The draft agreement also calls for Ecology to develop mechanisms to allow water users to participate in a mitigation program to offset their water use.
The draft agreement may be viewed online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/cds/current/ and http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/wrhome.html.
Hard copies are available at the Kittitas County Development Services Center in Ellensburg at 411 North Ruby St. and at Ecology’s office in Yakima at 15 W. Yakima Ave., Suite 200, Yakima, WA 98902. Written comments will be accepted through April 2, 2008, and may be made online at the Ecology website listed above or to either addresses listed above, Attn: Kittitas MOA.
Comments will also be accepted during two open houses set for 6-9 p.m.:
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Contact information:
Tom Tebb, Department of Ecology, water resources program, 509-574-3989
Darryl Piercy, Kittitas County director of Community Development Services, 509-933-8228
Media contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, Department of Ecology, 509-575-2610.
More information is available on line at www. ecy.wa.gov.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
