Olympia, tribe agreement aims to ease water worries

By Christian Hill | The Olympian • Published May 15, 2008

• Documents
• Comments (0)

The tribe and city must offset those effects before Ecology will approve the proposed transfer of water rights from McAllister and nearby Abbott Springs, a smaller water source, to the new well field. Ecology otherwise has closed many streams in the Deschutes and Nisqually watersheds from further allocation of potable water to serve the area's growing population.

Ecology also must approve the strategies proposed to offset the effects of the proposed transfer of water rights. Under the agreement, Nisqually would lease and eventually own about half the water rights — representing 3 million gallons a day — now connected to Abbott Springs for its use.

Under the agreement, the Nisqually tribe will pay all the costs to offset the effects on the Nisqually River. Olympia will pay the mitigation costs for Woodland Creek, the Deschutes River and four lakes — Hicks, Long, Pattison and St. Clair.

The agreement calls for a separate contract between Lacey and Olympia under which Lacey would offset some of the effects on Woodland Creek, Hicks Lake, Long Lake and Pattison Lake, which are in or near the city.

"We can do a better job together, and we can do it more cost-effectively," Olympia Water Resources Director Rich Hoey said of the pending partnership.

The contract is being negotiated, and Cuoio said he'd like for it to be finalized within the next month or so. Lacey also might need to sign a separate agreement with the Nisqually tribe.

The new wellfield would indirectly aid Lacey's quest to secure additional water. Since June 2005, the city has prohibited new development in its urban growth area because of a lack of available water. It also has been purchasing Olympia's water on a regular basis to supplement the water produced by its own wells to keep up with the demand from its customers.

Lacey officials have asked Ecology for the authority to pump more water. A major obstacle is how to offset the effects on nearby waterways, particularly on McAllister and Woodland creeks.

Olympia officials predict that the retirement of McAllister Springs as a municipal water source will increase McAllister Creek's stream flow, even taking into account the effect of pumping groundwater nearby. As a result, there could be additional water to offset the effect from Lacey's requests, Cuoio said.

Lacey has proposed using reclaimed water from the LOTT treatment plant to offset the effect on Woodland Creek's stream flow during the summer. The city seeks grant funding for construction of a facility at Woodland Creek Community Park that would capture, cool and infiltrate into the creek reclaimed water piped from the treatment plant operated by the LOTT Alliance. Plans call for Lacey and Olympia to jointly develop the facility.

Cuoio said that even if the city secures this water, it won't be enough to lift the development ban in Lacey's urban growth area. Other requests for water are pending.

Loranger said the proposal to develop the new well field, retire McAllister Springs and use reclaimed water has potential.

"It sounds like a good idea," he said.

Christian Hill covers Lacey and the military for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5427 or chill@theolympian.com.