Moratorium on digging wells in Eastsound urged
(Please also see the rebuttal and the letter to the County Commisioners)
Insisting that rights for water use now exceed the ability of the aquifer to replenish itself, and that the problem is being exacerbated by property owners digging their own wells, the Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA) is asking San Juan County to impose a moratorium on the construction of new wells in Eastsound.
“The aquifer is being perforated like a piece of swiss cheese,” said EWUA General Manager Ted Wixom, pointing to a draft report of a study which states that while the aquifer can replenish 122 million gallons of water each year, the state has granted water rights totalling 109 million gallons from the aquifer, plus another 136 million gallons from private wells. Doing the math, that comes to twice as much water as can be returned to the system.
The state Department of Ecology (DOE), which is charged with making sure there is an adequate supply of water, claims that there are 75 private wells in the Eastsound area. Wixom, however, believes the number is closer to 100.
Without the moratorium, government has little authority, in practice, to stop people from digging a well, because there are no county laws to this effect. “There are no well permits,” county Environmental Health Manager Mark Tompkins explained. The county does inspections, but they’re carried out solely to make sure that they meet construction standards.
In theory, DOE could step in and demand proof that there is an adequate supply of water before allowing any new wells to be built. But DOE lacks enough staff to carry out this responsibility. “They can’t analyze every single aquifer,” Wixom said.
The moratorium will be considered by county commissioners in their role as the Board of Health. DOE also has the authority to declare a moratorium, but Dan Swenson, section supervisor for the Water Resources Program for Northwest Washington, advises the county to be the lead agency. “We could do it,” Swenson said, “but it would take a lot longer. We think it is appropriate for the county to do this.”
Although the EWUA is a private, membership-based organization, it recognizes that its role is to provide for all of Eastsound’s water needs.
“We’re a private entity, but we behave like a public agency,” Wixom said, adding that EWUA is doing everything it can to meet future needs. Ted Wixom, General Manager, Eastsound Water Users Association continued, “We’re over here, knocking our brains out” to get the information needed by regulatory agencies and financing companies that will have to give the okay before the system can be expanded and more water made available.
The EWUA has undertaken several studies addressing these matters, but Wixom confessed that he doesn’t know when expansion can take place.
The EWUA now finds itself in a proverbial Catch-22. Every time a well is dug, not only is water taken from the aquifer, but revenue that could be used to expand the system is taken away from the EWUA. The point is, Wixom said, that every time a new well is dug, the problem gets worse.
The moratorium, if approved, will provide the regulatory agencies with “an opportunity to evaluate the information and draw their own conclusions,” according to a Dec. 13 letter written by EWUA President Jim Nelson to county Health Officer Dr. Frank James and Tompkins.
Tompkins, county Commissioner John Evans and Wixom are among a group that recently discussed possible steps the county can take. The group has been assured by Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord that it has the authority to impose a moratorium on construction of new wells.
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