Water is a symbol of life. That’s why it’s so important to Bainbridge Island residents.
Mayor Joe Deets at the City Council’s meeting Sept. 24 called it BI’s “most precious” commodity.
The discussion was about the city’s Groundwater Management Plan. Many were critical of it. During public comments, Melanie Keenan, a hydrogeologist who is on the city’s Environment Technical Advisory Committee, was one. She said the GMP started over five years ago, and ETAC has not seen it in two years. She said it is being manipulated to coincide with leadership’s desires of the Winslow Subarea Plan.
She said the Environmental Protection Agency in 2013 identified BI as a unique urban growth area because its only drinking water comes from a sole source acquifer. But she said that isn’t even mentioned in the city’s draft environmental impact statement for its Comprehensive Plan. Also not mentioned is because of that designation a new state law allows BI the ability to limit growth. Her concerns include water recharge, seawater intrusion, high-quality water and an adequate amount of water.
Another ETAC member, Malcom Gander, said the GMP model “underestimates how much water we’re going to use.” He based that conclusion on historical data. In 2001, with 20,000 people on BI, 320 million gallons of water were used. In 2021, with just about 5,000 more people, the same wells produced 600 million gallons.
“The model needs to take that into account,” he said, adding the big production wells are near capacity. “Be realistic. Use real data.”
Councilmember Clarence Moriwaki, the council liaison to ETAC, said of the two members, “They are knowledgeable. Take that to heart.”
Councilmember Kirsten Hytopoulos agreed BI needs to be more careful about growth projections. “The legislature gave us an exemption for being an island city with limited resources,” she said, adding BI doesn’t need to “squeeze every drop” of water out of the ground.
“Be water smart,” Deets said, adding BI needs to start water conservation measures now and not wait until there is an emergency. “Treat water as precious as it is.”
Councilmember Jon Quitslund showed concern for residents who rely on shallow wells for water. “We can’t protect them,” he said. He also said problems remain with moving water on BI from the north to the south. “The coordination hasn’t gotten very far yet.”
Councilmember Leslie Schneider said residents of Winslow want to know personal information—“How does it affect my approach.” She added this information needs to be in the Comp Plan, and people will want to know which of the alternatives is more efficient when it comes to water usage.
Hytopoulos is concerned that the city doesn’t control water rights all over BI. “We have to coordinate with many others.” She worries how water usage will affect streams and how that could violate the city’s obligation to tribes, the state and the federal government. The city could be “blatantly negligent” of its stream management.
It’s such a critical decision she wants a second opinion.
In the end, the council asked city staff to have its hydrogeologist come to a meeting to, “tell us what we need to do,” deputy mayor Ashley Mathews said.
Councilmember Brenda Fantroy-Johnson added, “Bring in the expert. A lot of people think water will be gone in twenty years.”
