County to consider ban on well drilling in Eastsound

At the urging of the Eastsound Water Users Association, county officials will consider prohibiting the drilling of private water wells within the boundaries of the utility service area.

On Aug. 10, county commissioners are slated to discuss the pros and cons of placing a ban on new water wells in response to the association’s concerns about a proliferation of private wells within its boundaries. For the past three years the association has been prevented from adding new members because of a lack of supply and subsequent restrictions imposed on the system by state agencies. About 300 potential members are on the waiting list for new hookups.

The board of directors of the utility outlined its concerns in a June 24 letter sent to the commission. Two recent studies indicate short-term solutions for the utility to expand its water supply do not exist, and long-term answers are “substantial in scope and cost”, according to the letter. Eastsound’s designation as an urban growth area only adds to the dilemma, the board notes.

“The need for additional water is more challenging now that the county has identified Eastsound as an urban growth area,” EWUA President Jim Nelson stated in the letter. “Currently, EWUA cannot support the growth identified in the county’s Growth Management Plan.”

In the letter Nelson added that the utility expects to drill a new well later this year and gain approval for two wells it previously drilled. It also intends to re-purchase or lease inactive memberships, and provide service for new members by hauling water or helping them install rainwater catchment systems. Service guarantees provide the legal basis for excluding private wells from its boundaries, the board argues.

County officials two years ago declared Lopez Village and surrounding areas a “critical water resource area” and imposed restrictions on the drilling of private wells there. Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord said the dilemma the utility faces and the ban it is seeking would have “powerful implications” for future development and land-use planning in Eastsound. The state Department of Ecology, which regulates use of state waters for domestic use, is likely to back a prohibition if local officials ask for one, he said.

“Our understanding is that if the county makes the request, Ecology will impose a prohibition on exempt wells,” Gaylord said.

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