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06/29/2005: "Eastsound Water Wars To Come To An End"

Eastsound Aquifer Boundary shown as blue line. Dots show existing wells
For years now the Eastsound area of Orcas has been drawing water from wells without any formal -or informal- plan for the area. The GMA (Growth Management Act) contained a requirement that in an UGA (Interim Urban Growth Area) there must be a potential for a level of service to the area that is necessary for the projected growth.

While the drawing of water from the wells in the Eastsound area may have been unorganized, the Eastsound area is not short on organized groups. The County has been asked by some of those groups to step in and help solve the problem -a problem that involves not only the County, but also the State. The problem stems from the simple fact that unlike many areas on the islands, the Eastsound water source is one single aquifer, so what one person does, can effect all. And according to a hydrogeologic report presented in 2003, there may be more ground water rights (not all of which have been used) in the Eastsound Aquifer then there is water.

According to Mark Tompkins, the Environmental Health Manager for San Juan County, the Eastsound Water Users Association sent a petition to the County, and the East Orcas Water Supply Planning Committee, and the Eastsound Planning Review Committee, all got in the boat on the need for a CWRA (Critical Water Resource Area) designation. This then allows for a master plan for the use of water, called a Abbreviated Coordinated Water System Plan. If that was not enough, the SJC Water Resource Management Committee also supported the action.

On Tuesday, the Board acted. A Resolution was passed declaring the Eastsound Aquifer a critical water resource area and called for the development of an "Abbreviated Coordinated Water System Plan".

After the passage of the Resolution, Mr. Tompkins said a group can now be formed to draft the management plan. The Commissioners thanked Tompkins for including all of the interest groups in the process of bringing the proposal to the Board.