11/28/2007: "County Proposes Strategy for Protecting Groundwater"

San Juan County’s groundwater, a source of the county’s drinking water, is very susceptible to contamination according to the County’s Critical Areas Review team. The group’s findings say the vulnerability is due to the fact that all groundwater on the islands comes from local rainfall and because of the geology of the county, its aquifers recharge very slowly.

At the end of November, key members of the County’s Critical Areas review team will begin a series of public meetings to review the problems it has identified, get input and present the County staff’s proposal for protecting groundwater.

The public meetings are scheduled begin at 6 p.m. The dates and locations are:

Nov. 29 – Orcas – The Senior Center in Eastsound
Dec. 4 – Lopez Island – Community Center
Dec. 5 - San Juan Island – Mullis Street Fire Station

“The staff proposal is meant to be a starting point for discussion,” says Shireene Hale, the Senior Planner working on the Critical Areas Project, “we are hoping to get a lot of ideas and input from the public to help make this project a success.”

Among the proposals the group is opening for discussion are:

•Inspections of businesses that use chemicals in “Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas” where there is a high potential for contaminating drinking water.

•Amending the Unified Development Code to make it easier to provide sewer outside of Urban Growth Areas when necessary to protect public health and the environment.

•Seek changes in State policies and laws in cases where they hinder rather than help the County to protect groundwater.

•Begin groundwater monitoring in some areas to provide an early warning system for potential problems.

The staff proposal, documents on Best Available Science and the proposed Critical Aquifer Recharge Area Map can be found on the County web site at: http://www.co.san-juan.wa.us/cdp/default.asp