The following letter was sent in response to an article in the Islands' Sounder about a moratorium on wells in the Eastsound area. (Copy of the article)

To:  The San Juan County Board of Commissioners, Vicki Heater, Mark Tomkins, EWUA, Janelle Rogers (CDM)
CC: Dr. Frank James

From: Sandy Taylor

Re: Eastsound Groundwater Modeling and exempt wells.
 

       Please consider updating the EWUA groundwater model updated to include recharge from gardens and domestic septic systems. Also recent concern have been raised about exempt wells’ water rights should be balanced with the attached reference showing that the average draw on an exempt well is only 334 gallons per day (gpd), far less than 5000 gpd used by EWUA, reducing the exempt wells from overwhelming to only a minor concern.

I have discussed these suggestions with some members of the EWUA board. Since I plan to respond to the March 3 article in the Sounder about a moratorium on wells in Eastsound, I took the liberty of contacting Janelle Rogers with CDM to share my suggestions/feedback. She was very receptive to the suggestions and data. I think she is going to check the technical references provided and contact EWUA about including some of this in the current update.

A big thanks to Vicki Heater (SJC Health and Community Services) for providing the attached reference indicating that 75% is a good working estimate of the water reenters the ground for a home with an exempt well on a residential septic system (attached), and only 85 gpd of this is considered consumptive.

Wow! This is like getting a $0.75 cash rebate back on every dollar you spend.

The recent quote in the Islands’ Sounder referring to 136 million gallons from private wells corresponds to results of 75 wells pumping 5000 gal/day 365 days per year. Data from WRIA 22 and 23 indicates that 334 gal/day per well is a better estimate, and of this only 85 gal/day is considered consumptive.

Please check, but I think you will find that the water right for an exempt well is not actually 5000 gal/day, but it is only the amount that is put to beneficial use (RCW 90.040.50), or about 334 gal/day on the average. It would be a serious overestimation to use the maximum possible of 5000 gal/day for every exempt well.

Some of the laws related to water are complicated, but fortunately the Dept of Ecology guidelines for watershed planning groups allow a great degree of flexibility to use good science.

There may be common folklore claiming exempt wells present a public health risk, but there does not appear to be credible evidence at the local of national level of properly constructed wells conforming to WAC 173-160 being responsible for public health problems, or justifying an “unfair taking” of the landowners right to construct an exempt well. I called the state DOH and confirmed that the real risks are from bad septic systems or the improper use of toxic chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers, not private exempt wells.

Sincerely,

   Sandy Taylor

   (360) 376 3815      

    Links to the technical references and guidelines can be found under “Hot Topics” at www.olgawater.com

Orcas Island Watershed Planning