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Instream flow rule public process for
the Dungeness Basin
the Dungeness Basin
#8: Water resource management: It’s a big picture with a lot of players
Proposed Dungeness instream flow rule just one piece of the puzzle
Published October 29, 2008
by SAM GIBBONEY
Water Resources Consultant
ISE Consultants
As the saying goes “It takes a village ….” Nowhere is this more apparent than the local
participation the Department of Ecology relies on in developing an instream flow and
water management rule. an
important contribution to the understanding, restoration and management of the
Dungeness River
watershed.
You live in a watershed with a significant history of watershed planning. The Dungeness
watershed is one of the more studied in the state; intensive study began in the 1980s.
Recent planning efforts led by the Elwha-Dungeness Planning Unit resulted in the
adoption of the Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Plan in 2005, which includes strategies for
addressing limited water supply, improving water quality and restoring river habitat.
The future water management rule is based on the Watershed Plan’s recommendations.
It will focus on water quantity and water supply strategies,including setting instream flow
levels (a water right for the stream that protects it from future withdrawals). But having a
Watershed Plan and a water management rule alone does not make a healthy watershed.
Fortunately, many activities are occurring in your watershed that seek to protect its health
and vitality.
The Dungeness Clean Water District and Clean Water Working Group were formed to
focus on specific pollutants in Dungeness Bay. Declining water quality in the bay since the
1990s resulted in closing the bay to commercial shellfish harvesting. This effort has
expanded to include water quality problems throughout the Dungeness watershed. Two
water cleanup plans developed by the CWWG have been approved by the Environmental
Protection Agency and are under way.
The Dungeness River Restoration Work Group, formed in the early 1990s, is a technical
working group responsible for identifying and helping implement key habitat restoration
projects on the Dungeness. Another key player in salmon recovery and habitat work is
the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity, working with the state’s salmon recovery effort.
Habitat restoration has included replacing large woody debris in the river, rewidening the
river channel and restoring the floodplain (land adjacent to the river susceptible to
flooding) by setting dikes back. These and other restoration activities are helping to
restore the Dungeness to a more naturally functioning river to benefit both people and
fish. Elements of both habitat protection and reducing flood risks to property are being
integrated in the updating of the comprehensive Dungeness River flood hazard reduction
plan.
Sequim residents may be unaware that their reclaimed water system was one of the
earliest in the state. The lovely hanging baskets in town and the pond at Carrie Blake Park
are among the current recipients of this water. Some of the reclaimed water also is used
to augment fl ow in Bell Creek.
The main source of drinking water in the Dungeness watershed is groundwater. Ongoing
monitoring of groundwater quality and levels has yielded important data. These efforts are
essential to tracking water quality trends and preserving this key source of water.
This is just a quick look at some of the activities contributing to improving the health of the
Dungeness watershed. There is another essential player in this scheme — you! Everything
you do, big and small, affects the health of your watershed.
From simple water conservation actions like replacing old or leaking toilets or turning off
the tap when you brush your teeth, to bigger steps such as low-impact development —
ultimately the health of your watershed is in your hands. Lots of your friends and
neighbors already are hard at work. Start today to make your watershed healthier for all
that depend on it: people, farms and fish.
Proposed Dungeness instream flow rule just one piece of the puzzle
Published October 29, 2008
by SAM GIBBONEY
Water Resources Consultant
ISE Consultants
As the saying goes “It takes a village ….” Nowhere is this more apparent than the local
participation the Department of Ecology relies on in developing an instream flow and
water management rule. an
important contribution to the understanding, restoration and management of the
Dungeness River
watershed.
You live in a watershed with a significant history of watershed planning. The Dungeness
watershed is one of the more studied in the state; intensive study began in the 1980s.
Recent planning efforts led by the Elwha-Dungeness Planning Unit resulted in the
adoption of the Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Plan in 2005, which includes strategies for
addressing limited water supply, improving water quality and restoring river habitat.
The future water management rule is based on the Watershed Plan’s recommendations.
It will focus on water quantity and water supply strategies,including setting instream flow
levels (a water right for the stream that protects it from future withdrawals). But having a
Watershed Plan and a water management rule alone does not make a healthy watershed.
Fortunately, many activities are occurring in your watershed that seek to protect its health
and vitality.
The Dungeness Clean Water District and Clean Water Working Group were formed to
focus on specific pollutants in Dungeness Bay. Declining water quality in the bay since the
1990s resulted in closing the bay to commercial shellfish harvesting. This effort has
expanded to include water quality problems throughout the Dungeness watershed. Two
water cleanup plans developed by the CWWG have been approved by the Environmental
Protection Agency and are under way.
The Dungeness River Restoration Work Group, formed in the early 1990s, is a technical
working group responsible for identifying and helping implement key habitat restoration
projects on the Dungeness. Another key player in salmon recovery and habitat work is
the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity, working with the state’s salmon recovery effort.
Habitat restoration has included replacing large woody debris in the river, rewidening the
river channel and restoring the floodplain (land adjacent to the river susceptible to
flooding) by setting dikes back. These and other restoration activities are helping to
restore the Dungeness to a more naturally functioning river to benefit both people and
fish. Elements of both habitat protection and reducing flood risks to property are being
integrated in the updating of the comprehensive Dungeness River flood hazard reduction
plan.
Sequim residents may be unaware that their reclaimed water system was one of the
earliest in the state. The lovely hanging baskets in town and the pond at Carrie Blake Park
are among the current recipients of this water. Some of the reclaimed water also is used
to augment fl ow in Bell Creek.
The main source of drinking water in the Dungeness watershed is groundwater. Ongoing
monitoring of groundwater quality and levels has yielded important data. These efforts are
essential to tracking water quality trends and preserving this key source of water.
This is just a quick look at some of the activities contributing to improving the health of the
Dungeness watershed. There is another essential player in this scheme — you! Everything
you do, big and small, affects the health of your watershed.
From simple water conservation actions like replacing old or leaking toilets or turning off
the tap when you brush your teeth, to bigger steps such as low-impact development —
ultimately the health of your watershed is in your hands. Lots of your friends and
neighbors already are hard at work. Start today to make your watershed healthier for all
that depend on it: people, farms and fish.
#7: Using water wisely for farming
Published July 30, 2008
By Sam Gibboney
Water Resources Consultant
ISE Consultants
In 1895 farmers formed the Sequim Prairie Ditch Company and by 1923 nine large water
rights had been issued for irrigation. About half went to private irrigation companies and
the rest to irrigation districts, which are quasi-governmental agencies. The Dungeness
Basin was by now fully appropriated—that is, all the water in the river had been legally
“spoken for.”
Local farming has seen many changes over the decades, both in what is grown and how it
is irrigated. Irrigation currently supports alfalfa, hay, row and seed crops, berries, lavender
and other crops, including organic produce, on about 5,000 acres. Improvements in
irrigation practices, management and infrastructure have made it possible for the irrigation
districts, companies and individual farmers to reduce their water diversions from the river.
In the early days of farming, river water was delivered by way of ditches to individual
farms. Eventually pipe and sprinkler systems replaced much of the old “flood irrigation.”
Piping has reduced the amount of water previously lost from leaky open ditches, although
there is still more work to do.
Improvements in irrigation have been supported by a broad coalition of those interested
in water supply and salmon recovery. Irrigators are at the forefront of water conservation
and efficiency efforts in the basin, and are actively working to find solutions to meet
diverse water needs.
The Sequim-Dungeness Valley Agricultural Water Users Association (WUA) is an
association of the seven irrigation districts and companies. It promotes cooperation in
managing irrigation water and maintains a response plan for drought years. The group
also represents irrigation and farming interests in discussions with others interested in
Dungeness River flows and water management.
In 1998, the WUA entered into a Trust Water Agreement with the state Department of
Ecology. Historically, irrigators diverted up to 80% of the natural flow of the river, but now
the companies and districts voluntarily limit diversions to no more than 50% of the flow of
the Dungeness River at any time. Extensive investments of time and money have enabled
the WUA to reduce its late-summer water use, when sufficient flows for salmon migration
are crucial.
Sometimes additional measures are needed to increase water in the river during low
flows. In 2001, and again in 2003-2005, the Department of Ecology purchased “split-
season leases,” whereby the irrigators agreed to water crops on certain lands only
through July, and for the remainder of the summer leave the water in the river to benefit
fish, water quality and other values.
At one especially low-water time, irrigators agreed to stopped diverting for more than 24
hours so that all the available water would stay in the river. This gave Chinook salmon a
critical window of opportunity to swim upstream and spawn, with the availability of more
and cooler water.
Farming faces pressure on many fronts, including the conversion of cropland to residential
and commercial developments. One goal of the water planning and management
discussions over the past few years is the continuation of a strong agricultural community
in the valley.
The agricultural community has been a part of the collaborative planning process since the
beginning. The farmers of the Dungeness Valley are doing their part to use water wisely.
Continuing to work together is the surest way to provide water for people, farms and
fish.
The third community forum on future water management in the Dungeness watershed will
be held this fall. Watch this paper for announcements.
ADDITIONAL FARMING FACTS:
The agricultural patterns we see today in the Dungeness Valley are linked to a long
history of settlement, development of irrigation systems and application of water law.
As you might recall from earlier articles in this series, Washington—like other Western
states—has adopted what is known as the Prior Appropriation Doctrine. This approach to
water management was designed to meet the needs of early settlers in arid lands so that
their water rights would not be pre-empted by upstream farmers who arrived after them.
Many of the principles of Western water law have evolved from this inextricable connection
between agriculture and water.
In 1850 the first non-Native American settlers began arriving in the Dungeness Valley.
Within a few years, they were exporting wheat, oats, peas, apples, hops and dressed
meat to other Puget Sound settlements. These early farmers found that the dry summers
were not conducive to large-scale farming. However, the Dungeness River was an obvious
supply of summertime water and was soon exploited.
In 1895 the Sequim Prairie Ditch Company was formed, and by April 1896 a system of
open ditches and wooden flumes had been constructed. The community recognized the
magnitude of this accomplishment and planned a May Day celebration—the first of what
would come to be known as the Sequim Irrigation Festivals.
River water was delivered by way of ditches to individual farms. Eventually, pipe and
sprinkler systems replaced much of the old “flood irrigation” system, and shortly after
World War II nearly 25,000 acres were under irrigation. However, as far back as 1924, an
adjudication showed that more water rights were legally appropriated than there was
flow in the river to withdraw.
Irrigation led to pea harvests in the 1930s and 40s that employed up to 300 local workers
and included export to East Coast cities. Dungeness River water also allowed the growing
of alfalfa and other crops essential to dairy farming, which soon became a dominant
industry. In the 1940s, there were 949 farms in Clallam County with milk cows.
Today there are only two commercial dairy farms in the Dungeness Valley, which shows
how much the agricultural picture, and consequently irrigation needs, have changed.
(Thanks to Laura Arksey’s May 2008 “thumbnail history” of Sequim, found at www.
historylink.org, for the above farming facts.)
Declining levels of groundwater in areas of the Dungeness watershed are a concern.
Population growth, seasonal water shortages, changes in irrigation practices and land
use, and complex geology in a naturally dry area are some of the factors affecting
groundwater levels. Careful management of groundwater supplies is crucial to the basin’s
overall water supply.
Groundwater is contained in aquifers—underground geologic formations that store and
move groundwater down-slope to springs, streams and marine waters. The size and
numbers of aquifers in the Dungeness vary tremendously across the watershed, so the
availability of groundwater at any given location can vary as well.
In the summer months, groundwater keeps the local rivers and streams flowing. This is
because all our water is connected. Withdrawing surface water affects groundwater, and
vice versa.
We have lots of good data about the Dungeness groundwater picture, and are always
gathering more. Sources include the U.S. Geological Survey’s studies and models, the
Department of Ecology’s groundwater model and monitoring network, data gathered and
analyzed by the Clallam County Department of Health, and descriptive information from
well logs submitted by drillers.
So who uses groundwater in the Dungeness watershed? People who rely on wells do. A
number of residents get their water from small, single-owner wells, which are often
referred to as “permit-exempt wells” because they do not require a water right permit.
Many small community water systems also use permit-exempt wells.
Larger public water suppliers that hold water rights also depend on groundwater. The
Clallam County Public Utility District serves residences in the Carlsborg area with water
from a 177-foot-deep well. Residences in Sequim are hooked up to a city water system
that gets much of its supply from large, deep wells in the Port Williams Road area.
Thousands of wells are already in use in the watershed and many more may be drilled in
the future. As noted above, withdrawals from wells affect the amount of water in our
streams and aquifers, especially in late summer and early fall when stream flows are
already low. Fish and other aquatic species can be negatively affected—and so can water
users with existing water rights.
Any single groundwater user is probably not going to have a big impact on the water
supply. It is the cumulative use—the effects of many, many users taking water—that really
adds up.
It is not just the amount of water used, but how it is used, that contributes to the overall
impact.
For example, a house on a septic system will return to the aquifer much of the water used
in-house (for bathing, washing, flushing). By contrast, a house connected to Sequim’s
sewer system will have its in-house water treated and recycled at the city’s reclaimed
water facility. In summer months, this water will go to the re-use park or be used for
irrigation; in other months, much of it is discharged to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Furthermore, a house that uses inefficient outdoor irrigation methods to water plants or
grass all summer long will lose a lot of that water to evaporation.
Since all of our water is connected, it will take coordinated management of this scarce
resource both to meet growing demand for water and to maintain and restore the
environment we all cherish.
Published July 30, 2008
By Sam Gibboney
Water Resources Consultant
ISE Consultants
In 1895 farmers formed the Sequim Prairie Ditch Company and by 1923 nine large water
rights had been issued for irrigation. About half went to private irrigation companies and
the rest to irrigation districts, which are quasi-governmental agencies. The Dungeness
Basin was by now fully appropriated—that is, all the water in the river had been legally
“spoken for.”
Local farming has seen many changes over the decades, both in what is grown and how it
is irrigated. Irrigation currently supports alfalfa, hay, row and seed crops, berries, lavender
and other crops, including organic produce, on about 5,000 acres. Improvements in
irrigation practices, management and infrastructure have made it possible for the irrigation
districts, companies and individual farmers to reduce their water diversions from the river.
In the early days of farming, river water was delivered by way of ditches to individual
farms. Eventually pipe and sprinkler systems replaced much of the old “flood irrigation.”
Piping has reduced the amount of water previously lost from leaky open ditches, although
there is still more work to do.
Improvements in irrigation have been supported by a broad coalition of those interested
in water supply and salmon recovery. Irrigators are at the forefront of water conservation
and efficiency efforts in the basin, and are actively working to find solutions to meet
diverse water needs.
The Sequim-Dungeness Valley Agricultural Water Users Association (WUA) is an
association of the seven irrigation districts and companies. It promotes cooperation in
managing irrigation water and maintains a response plan for drought years. The group
also represents irrigation and farming interests in discussions with others interested in
Dungeness River flows and water management.
In 1998, the WUA entered into a Trust Water Agreement with the state Department of
Ecology. Historically, irrigators diverted up to 80% of the natural flow of the river, but now
the companies and districts voluntarily limit diversions to no more than 50% of the flow of
the Dungeness River at any time. Extensive investments of time and money have enabled
the WUA to reduce its late-summer water use, when sufficient flows for salmon migration
are crucial.
Sometimes additional measures are needed to increase water in the river during low
flows. In 2001, and again in 2003-2005, the Department of Ecology purchased “split-
season leases,” whereby the irrigators agreed to water crops on certain lands only
through July, and for the remainder of the summer leave the water in the river to benefit
fish, water quality and other values.
At one especially low-water time, irrigators agreed to stopped diverting for more than 24
hours so that all the available water would stay in the river. This gave Chinook salmon a
critical window of opportunity to swim upstream and spawn, with the availability of more
and cooler water.
Farming faces pressure on many fronts, including the conversion of cropland to residential
and commercial developments. One goal of the water planning and management
discussions over the past few years is the continuation of a strong agricultural community
in the valley.
The agricultural community has been a part of the collaborative planning process since the
beginning. The farmers of the Dungeness Valley are doing their part to use water wisely.
Continuing to work together is the surest way to provide water for people, farms and
fish.
The third community forum on future water management in the Dungeness watershed will
be held this fall. Watch this paper for announcements.
ADDITIONAL FARMING FACTS:
The agricultural patterns we see today in the Dungeness Valley are linked to a long
history of settlement, development of irrigation systems and application of water law.
As you might recall from earlier articles in this series, Washington—like other Western
states—has adopted what is known as the Prior Appropriation Doctrine. This approach to
water management was designed to meet the needs of early settlers in arid lands so that
their water rights would not be pre-empted by upstream farmers who arrived after them.
Many of the principles of Western water law have evolved from this inextricable connection
between agriculture and water.
In 1850 the first non-Native American settlers began arriving in the Dungeness Valley.
Within a few years, they were exporting wheat, oats, peas, apples, hops and dressed
meat to other Puget Sound settlements. These early farmers found that the dry summers
were not conducive to large-scale farming. However, the Dungeness River was an obvious
supply of summertime water and was soon exploited.
In 1895 the Sequim Prairie Ditch Company was formed, and by April 1896 a system of
open ditches and wooden flumes had been constructed. The community recognized the
magnitude of this accomplishment and planned a May Day celebration—the first of what
would come to be known as the Sequim Irrigation Festivals.
River water was delivered by way of ditches to individual farms. Eventually, pipe and
sprinkler systems replaced much of the old “flood irrigation” system, and shortly after
World War II nearly 25,000 acres were under irrigation. However, as far back as 1924, an
adjudication showed that more water rights were legally appropriated than there was
flow in the river to withdraw.
Irrigation led to pea harvests in the 1930s and 40s that employed up to 300 local workers
and included export to East Coast cities. Dungeness River water also allowed the growing
of alfalfa and other crops essential to dairy farming, which soon became a dominant
industry. In the 1940s, there were 949 farms in Clallam County with milk cows.
Today there are only two commercial dairy farms in the Dungeness Valley, which shows
how much the agricultural picture, and consequently irrigation needs, have changed.
(Thanks to Laura Arksey’s May 2008 “thumbnail history” of Sequim, found at www.
historylink.org, for the above farming facts.)
Declining levels of groundwater in areas of the Dungeness watershed are a concern.
Population growth, seasonal water shortages, changes in irrigation practices and land
use, and complex geology in a naturally dry area are some of the factors affecting
groundwater levels. Careful management of groundwater supplies is crucial to the basin’s
overall water supply.
Groundwater is contained in aquifers—underground geologic formations that store and
move groundwater down-slope to springs, streams and marine waters. The size and
numbers of aquifers in the Dungeness vary tremendously across the watershed, so the
availability of groundwater at any given location can vary as well.
In the summer months, groundwater keeps the local rivers and streams flowing. This is
because all our water is connected. Withdrawing surface water affects groundwater, and
vice versa.
We have lots of good data about the Dungeness groundwater picture, and are always
gathering more. Sources include the U.S. Geological Survey’s studies and models, the
Department of Ecology’s groundwater model and monitoring network, data gathered and
analyzed by the Clallam County Department of Health, and descriptive information from
well logs submitted by drillers.
So who uses groundwater in the Dungeness watershed? People who rely on wells do. A
number of residents get their water from small, single-owner wells, which are often
referred to as “permit-exempt wells” because they do not require a water right permit.
Many small community water systems also use permit-exempt wells.
Larger public water suppliers that hold water rights also depend on groundwater. The
Clallam County Public Utility District serves residences in the Carlsborg area with water
from a 177-foot-deep well. Residences in Sequim are hooked up to a city water system
that gets much of its supply from large, deep wells in the Port Williams Road area.
Thousands of wells are already in use in the watershed and many more may be drilled in
the future. As noted above, withdrawals from wells affect the amount of water in our
streams and aquifers, especially in late summer and early fall when stream flows are
already low. Fish and other aquatic species can be negatively affected—and so can water
users with existing water rights.
Any single groundwater user is probably not going to have a big impact on the water
supply. It is the cumulative use—the effects of many, many users taking water—that really
adds up.
It is not just the amount of water used, but how it is used, that contributes to the overall
impact.
For example, a house on a septic system will return to the aquifer much of the water used
in-house (for bathing, washing, flushing). By contrast, a house connected to Sequim’s
sewer system will have its in-house water treated and recycled at the city’s reclaimed
water facility. In summer months, this water will go to the re-use park or be used for
irrigation; in other months, much of it is discharged to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Furthermore, a house that uses inefficient outdoor irrigation methods to water plants or
grass all summer long will lose a lot of that water to evaporation.
Since all of our water is connected, it will take coordinated management of this scarce
resource both to meet growing demand for water and to maintain and restore the
environment we all cherish.
#6: The water we can’t see
The importance of groundwater in the Dungeness watershed
Published June 11, 2008
By Sam Gibboney, Water Resources Consultant
ISE Consultants
it’s happening under the ground.
Declining levels of groundwater in areas of the Dungeness watershed are a concern.
Population growth, seasonal water shortages, changes in irrigation practices and land
use, and complex geology in a naturally dry area are some of the factors affecting
groundwater levels. Careful management of groundwater supplies is crucial to the basin’s
overall water supply.
Groundwater is contained in aquifers—underground geologic formations that store and
move groundwater down-slope to springs, streams and marine waters. The size and
numbers of aquifers in the Dungeness vary tremendously across the watershed, so the
availability of groundwater at any given location can vary as well.
In the summer months, groundwater keeps the local rivers and streams flowing. This is
because all our water is connected. Withdrawing surface water affects groundwater, and
vice versa.
We have lots of good data about the Dungeness groundwater picture, and are always
gathering more. Sources include the U.S. Geological Survey’s studies and models, the
Department of Ecology’s groundwater model and monitoring network, data gathered and
analyzed by the Clallam County Department of Health, and descriptive information from
well logs submitted by drillers.
So who uses groundwater in the Dungeness watershed? People who rely on wells do. A
number of residents get their water from small, single-owner wells, which are often
referred to as “permit-exempt wells” because they do not require a water right permit.
Many small community water systems also use permit-exempt wells.
Larger public water suppliers that hold water rights also depend on groundwater. The
Clallam County Public Utility District serves residences in the Carlsborg area with water
from a 177-foot-deep well. Residences in Sequim are hooked up to a city water system
that gets much of its supply from large, deep wells in the Port Williams Road area.
Thousands of wells are already in use in the watershed and many more may be drilled in
the future. As noted above, withdrawals from wells affect the amount of water in our
streams and aquifers, especially in late summer and early fall when stream flows are
already low. Fish and other aquatic species can be negatively affected—and so can water
users with existing water rights.
Any single groundwater user is probably not going to have a big impact on the water
supply. It is the cumulative use—the effects of many, many users taking water—that really
adds up.
For example, a house on a septic system will return to the aquifer much of the water used
in-house (for bathing, washing, flushing). By contrast, a house connected to Sequim’s
sewer system will have its in-house water treated and recycled at the city’s reclaimed
water facility. In summer months, this water will go to the re-use park or be used for
irrigation; in other months, much of it is discharged to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Furthermore, a house that uses inefficient outdoor irrigation methods to water plants or
grass all summer long will lose a lot of that water to evaporation.
Since all of our water is connected, it will take coordinated management of this scarce
resource both to meet growing demand for water and to maintain and restore the
environment we all cherish.
The importance of groundwater in the Dungeness watershed
Published June 11, 2008
By Sam Gibboney, Water Resources Consultant
ISE Consultants
it’s happening under the ground.
Declining levels of groundwater in areas of the Dungeness watershed are a concern.
Population growth, seasonal water shortages, changes in irrigation practices and land
use, and complex geology in a naturally dry area are some of the factors affecting
groundwater levels. Careful management of groundwater supplies is crucial to the basin’s
overall water supply.
Groundwater is contained in aquifers—underground geologic formations that store and
move groundwater down-slope to springs, streams and marine waters. The size and
numbers of aquifers in the Dungeness vary tremendously across the watershed, so the
availability of groundwater at any given location can vary as well.
In the summer months, groundwater keeps the local rivers and streams flowing. This is
because all our water is connected. Withdrawing surface water affects groundwater, and
vice versa.
We have lots of good data about the Dungeness groundwater picture, and are always
gathering more. Sources include the U.S. Geological Survey’s studies and models, the
Department of Ecology’s groundwater model and monitoring network, data gathered and
analyzed by the Clallam County Department of Health, and descriptive information from
well logs submitted by drillers.
So who uses groundwater in the Dungeness watershed? People who rely on wells do. A
number of residents get their water from small, single-owner wells, which are often
referred to as “permit-exempt wells” because they do not require a water right permit.
Many small community water systems also use permit-exempt wells.
Larger public water suppliers that hold water rights also depend on groundwater. The
Clallam County Public Utility District serves residences in the Carlsborg area with water
from a 177-foot-deep well. Residences in Sequim are hooked up to a city water system
that gets much of its supply from large, deep wells in the Port Williams Road area.
Thousands of wells are already in use in the watershed and many more may be drilled in
the future. As noted above, withdrawals from wells affect the amount of water in our
streams and aquifers, especially in late summer and early fall when stream flows are
already low. Fish and other aquatic species can be negatively affected—and so can water
users with existing water rights.
Any single groundwater user is probably not going to have a big impact on the water
supply. It is the cumulative use—the effects of many, many users taking water—that really
adds up.
For example, a house on a septic system will return to the aquifer much of the water used
in-house (for bathing, washing, flushing). By contrast, a house connected to Sequim’s
sewer system will have its in-house water treated and recycled at the city’s reclaimed
water facility. In summer months, this water will go to the re-use park or be used for
irrigation; in other months, much of it is discharged to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Furthermore, a house that uses inefficient outdoor irrigation methods to water plants or
grass all summer long will lose a lot of that water to evaporation.
Since all of our water is connected, it will take coordinated management of this scarce
resource both to meet growing demand for water and to maintain and restore the
environment we all cherish.
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