Special Issue Focus: Securing our Future Water Supply

The population on the Eastside and in our region is expected to double from 1.4 million to 2.8 million in the next 30 years. It is critically important for us to think decades ahead to ensure that the next generation has enough water supply to satisfy the increased demand. It may seem to us that we get plenty of precipitation around here, but the key factor is whether we are capturing and storing it sufficiently - and with measurable climate changes we may not even be able to count on adequate precipitation or snowpack in the mountains.

There are many steps we must take to try and secure our future water supply:

  • Increase our water storage capacity: The huge, untapped "Snoqualmie" aquifer under the Cascades will certainly be a coveted resource for Seattle and our region, so I expect that we will need to tap into it. Perhaps we will need to construct another large reservoir on the West side of the Cascades (although I'm aware of the potentially adverse environmental effects of doing so and of the significant evaporation risk). Construction of new, in-ground water storage tanks will also be very important. In our area, the Union Hill Water Association is setting a very good example in this regard.
  • Keep our water on the eastside: Currently, water is flowing over the eastside and into the Puget Sound basin, rather than getting back into the groundwater system where it can be of use to us. Further, the overflow carries contaminants with it, so we're losing water, polluting Puget Sound, losing "in-stream flow" and letting the aquifer slowly run dry all at the same time (what I call a "lose-lose-lose-lose" situation). We urgently need to retrofit stormwater systems constructed before 1990 so we can achieve much greater infiltration levels.
  • Conserve and reuse: We should put in place incentives to maximize the conservation and reuse of water, including rainwater collection systems for houses and for other structures, and water use efficiency measures for industry and agriculture.
  • Lessen the damage of growth: Low-impact development will also be very important - minimizing the use of impermeable surfaces, for example.

My training as an attorney in environmental policy makes me especially sensitive to the water issue. I am aware of a troublesome feature of Western U.S. water law, called the "right of prior appropriation," whereby claims to water are legally enforceable even if there is insufficient water to satisfy those claims. This is called the "over-allocation" problem. With industrial and agricultural interests claiming more water than there is to claim, and with more consumers demanding ever more water, I believe we're heading for a crisis unless we act now.

If elected, I will work through the capital budgeting process in the legislature to allocate funds to begin the planning process for critical infrastructure investments to secure our future supply of clean water. This includes consideration of new aquifer access, construction of more in-ground storage of water and perhaps a large, new reservoir and upgrading our stormwater systems, as mentioned above.

In our region we're stuck in traffic because we didn't plan adequately - and we didn't ACT in time - to accommodate the inevitable increase in motor vehicles on our roads. Before we find ourselves without enough clean water for the future, I want to take the lead so we plan and act in time, starting right now.