Jefferson PUD trims parties to water talks

The following article appeared in the January 19, 2006 Jefferson County issue of the Peninsula Daily News.

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WRIA planning membership is discussed

By Jeff Chew
Peninsula Daily News

PORT HADLOCK — Jefferson County Public Utililty District commissioners on Wednesday agreed that the county Planning Commission and Marrowstone Island-based Conserve Water First organization should not be a part of the Watershed Resource Inventory Area 17 planning unit.

However, the Jefferson County Association of Realtors should be, commissioners decided.

The WRIA 17 planning unit now being reconfigured will help shape the state Department of Ecology's controversial in-stream flow rule for the Quilcene-Snow basin into something the planning unit sees as fiar and equitable to the county's economy and salmon populations.

Applications discussed

During their monthly meeting, utility district commissioners discussed three WRIA 17 planning unit membership applications to help fill out the unit's steering committee.

The commissioners agreed that Planning Commission and Conserve Water FIrst representation would be redundant since they fall unter the county commissioners and the Olympic Environmental Council as their umbrella organizations respectively.

"The county already is represented on the planning unit," said utillity district Commissioner Dana Roberts.

County Commissioner David Sullivan has been acting as the unit's temporary facilitator as well.

"Now everybody wants to be in it and we're going to have to keep the number of votes down," said utility district Commissioner Kelly Hays.

On the other hand, Hays said, the county's Realtor group has a list of members and specific special interests, many of which they share with the Jefferson County Homebuilders Association.

Hays raised the possibility of the Realtors and homebuilders joining as one representative.

Catchment systems

As for Conserve Water First, which more than a year ago unsuccessfully challenged the utillity district's project to pipe water to Marrowstone Island, commissioners said the group's support of water catchment systems was something the state Department of Ecology frowns upon.

Ecology opposes water catchment systems because they divert water naturally destined for watersheds and aquifers.

"We're not lobbyists. We're not lawmakers. I think we have to go through the Legislature for that," King said of changing the laws against water catchment systems, such as water collected off rooftops.

"I cannot see how we can vote in favor of Conserve Water First."

Roberts questioned why the group would need a place on the planning unit when it is already represented by Olympic Environmental Council''s Willie Smothers.

"It really sounds to me that OEC is an umbrella for CWF," said Roberts.

Ray Harker, a Conserve Water First member at the meeting, said Ecology wants to broaden representation on the WRIA 17 planning unit.

"[Ecology] requested more people on this to get a full picture of representation through the county," Harker said.

"That was the reason why all this came into play, that was the intent."

Hays, saying he was speaking as a utility district commissioner and not a Marrowstone Island representative supporting district water service, said, "The problem now is everyone wants to come to the table and be represented."

Harker said that voting members and non-members, including Roberts and Bill Graham, utility district water resources manager, served on the planning unit, which has more than one representative.

Graham said that he served more as a resource to Roberts and did not have a vote.

The utility district's recommendations now go before the planning unit steering committee and then the full unit.

The controversial rule's intent is to ensure enough water for humans and stream levels that save salmon.

Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com