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03/16/2006: "Council Holds Hearing On Orcas"

(Large turnout for County Council hearing held on Orcas. -Wanda Evan's photo)

Early on after he was elected, Councilman Bob Myhr made it clear that he wanted the Council to hold more meetings on the other islands, and especially when the subject of a public hearing effected only the citizens of a particular island. The Council agreed with Myhr that this should be done, and on Wednesday the Council and staff packed up and set sail for Orcas for a public hearing on the East Orcas Water Supply report, and its recommendations for implementation.

Like most planning recommendations, the draft report has pleased some, upset others, and confused a few -or many, depending on who you talk to. In the previous workshops on the plan (held in Friday Harbor), the attendance was light, to say the least, but even so some of the concerns about the plan surfaced, and so when the Council opened the hearing on Orcas, they did so to a room full of Orcas citizens ready to listen, learn and testify.



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The draft plan is the result of a long study that has included participation by both county and state agencies, as well as local water users and water associations. The goal of the study was to come up with a plan and recommendations to address the long term water needs of Eastsound; and the Eastsound Urban Growth Area in particular.

The State authorized and adjudicated water rights held by Rosario Resort have been discussed as a possible source for at least some of the needs of Eastsound. The concerns and criticisms have been related to a fear that the transfer or loss of water rights in one area, to some other area, not have a negative impact on the needs of, and rights of, those areas that generate the water. One of the related concerns is that any transfer of water from Cascade creek near Rosario not have a negative impact on the water flows within the creek.

Representatives from the SJC Environmental Health Department, as well as most of the other players, including the State and local groups, all agree that additional data needs to be obtained, and the draft study both acknowledge this, and contains recommendations to "collect detailed information for the mutual, beneficial management of the resource in the Cascade Lake/Mountain Lake watersheds" , which will include and assessment of the "sustainable capacity of the watersheds to provide water for recreation, habitat, fish rearing and spawning, and human consumption".

If the County Council had any questions -or doubts- about the need to hold meetings on the island that may be affected by their actions and decisions, the turnout for the Wednesday meeting should convince them that they are steering on the right course.