Editorial for June 26, 2008

The rezoning proposal submitted by the Husum-BZ Corner Community Council appeared likely to increase residential development, because it called for adding more two-acre zoning within the planning area.

The ramifications to the area's water resources appear especially serious, and the county pledged to hire a consultant to study the potential impacts, a study likely to take about a year.

To their great credit, the Klickitat County Commissioners said they would also review and reassess other issues raised by residents of the area at a public hearing in White Salmon on Sept. 6, 2007. Those issues included the possibility of increased fire danger, added traffic congestion, impacts to wildlife, and impacts to the White Salmon River.

Among the jurisdictions registering opposition to aspects of the Husum-BZ rezoning plan at last September's hearing were the city of White Salmon and the Fordyce Water Association, which serves part of the Husum area.

The White Salmon City Council voted unanimously last year to inform the County Commissioners of the city's objections to the plan, with water issues given as the key reason for the opposition. White Salmon Public Works Director Mike Wellman pointed out to the county that the aquifers supplying water for the city's wells were not recharging sufficiently to keep up with existing demand, and new development would probably draw from the same aquifers.

Paul Poknis, president of the Fordyce Water Association, testified that he did not see where water for new development would come from, explaining that the water district he headed was already "maxed out."

Currently, the city of White Salmon is struggling to provide enough water for the customers served by its infrastructure, and it's an escalating battle. The city's system is heavily stressed by declining water resources. Conservation measures are regularly discussed at City Council meetings. The city is saddled with a water moratorium, with no new hookups being allowed because there is not enough water to go around.

The problem is real, and there is no reason to believe that the situation is any less serious a few miles north of White Salmon's city limits.

Members of the Husum-BZ Corner Community Council have worked long and hard on trying to craft a rezoning proposal for the Husum-BZ Corner area, and a fresh plan is well overdue. Council members have invested a lot of effort, and are to be commended not only for that, but also for their gracious response to the county's call for more review. Indeed, the chair of the Husum-BZ Corner Community Council, Jerry Smith, admirably termed the county's decision "appropriate" and "part of the process."

The bottom line is, the Klickitat County Commissioners took the proper action by specifically calling for a study of the area's water resources before making a decision on a rezoning plan. The county's responsiveness to concerns raised by local citizens is gratifying.

JB