State refuses to allow WS scrambles to resolve water issue

Leslie Thorpe, a manager in the Washington Department of Health's Division of Drinking Water, said the city recently requested permission to connect the Cochran Estates II subdivision, which is across Loop Road from Henkle Middle School.

"On May 27, we received a request for approval of water hookups for a subdivision outside the city limits," explained Thorpe. "We couldn't approve new hookups. The city can't expand its service area. However, within the city limits, hookups should be OK."

Thorpe pointed out that the city was tentatively approving water hookups when it had no rights to do so.

"The bottom line is, without water rights, the city can't sell water it doesn't own," said Thorpe. "The city has to work with the Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE) to get more water rights if it wants to expand its service area."

White Salmon City Council member Susan Gookin said her understanding was that water service hookups within the city limits would not be impacted.

"I heard we wouldn't allow people outside the city limits to hook up, but haven't heard of anything specific within the city," Gookin said. "As far as I know, individuals within the city are still allowed hookups. It doesn't apply within the city, unless it's a big subdivision. Individuals shouldn't have a problem."

Thorpe explained that WDOE is responsible for issuing water rights, while WDOH is responsible for overseeing the water master plans submitted by cities and other jurisdictions.

According to Thorpe, the city of White Salmon submitted an inadequate water system plan in September 2004. The key concerns not adequately addressed by the city included the following: the water rights issue, which the city has been exceeding; unaccounted for water, water that can't be tracked or traced; making sure a conservation plan is in place; and making sure there is adequate protection for the city's water source, its wells.

"The city has to have sufficient water rights in its plan. Water has to be physically available, and there have to be sufficient water rights," Thorpe said. "There is no more water in the West. Water rights' availability was spoken for long ago, so now it's a matter of brokering arrangements to free up water. That's not so easy to do."

In a July 5 letter from Andres Cervantes, regional engineer of the WDOH's Office of Drinking Water to Wil Keyser, White Salmon's director of the Public Works Department, the WDOH said it could not approve water hookups for the Cochran Estates subdivision.

"The submittal was reviewed and not considered complete. In addition, the city of White Salmon's old comprehensive water system plan has expired, and the updated plan has not been approved as of this date," wrote Cervantes. "At this time, the project cannot be approved."

Cervantes said the water plan recently submitted by the city shows it continuing to exceed its water rights, which is unacceptable to the WDOH.

"The plan showed the city currently exceeds its legal capacity of water rights, while supplying the current number of existing services. The city must resolve the current issue with the existing and future water rights," he wrote.

"They [White Salmon] have until Oct. 3 to address our concerns in that plan," Thorpe said. "At this point, the ball is in the city's court."

Dixie Walker, associate planner for the city of White Salmon, said there was some confusion because certain developments outside the city limits have been allowed to go forward -- for example, John and Sandy Dean's Loop Road/SR 141 development -- while Cochran Estates could not.

"The Loop Road infrastructure was already in. For Cochran Estates it is not. We asked the Department of Health if they [Cochran Estates] could go ahead and put in the infrastructure, and they said no," Walker explained. "Subdivisions and short plats that require a major waterline extension are being denied."

According to Walker, the restrictions apply both inside and outside the White Salmon city limits.

One property owner who is in the process of developing several lots outside the city limits but within the city's water service area complained that the city has not directly notified property owners and developers about the city's inability to provide new water hookups -- even for those who had earlier been given the city's approval.

"If [the city] is going to tell us to go forward and invest money, and then not to give us a follow up call or something, that's not right," said the property owner, who did not want to be identified. "You've got people spending a lot of money doing this. Somebody has to stand up and let us know what's going on."

Terry Trantow, a Bingen-based surveyor, said the situation was unfortunate.

"We were told by the Department of Ecology that it was OK for us to hook up, as long as we can tap into an existing water line. The difference was, we could hook up to an existing water line but couldn't put a water line in for future use," Trantow said. "It's a little scary. There is a fine line between new development and what is using infrastructure already existing. From my standpoint, before someone goes ahead with development, they need to ensure they can get water hookups. As far as developments in rural areas, they may get put on hold."

Trantow noted that the problem was not confined to White Salmon.

"It's everywhere," he explained. "From Wishram Heights to Dallesport to Mosier and Cascade Locks, developments are going in and additional water is going to be need. There is no infrastructure there to serve them."

Bob Blades, broker/owner of Pacific Rim Brokers in White Salmon, said the inability to obtain new water hookups has not had a direct impact yet, but it will soon.

"If it lasts long, what's available will be sold, and it will be a supply and demand issue," Blades said. "In another 60 days, we may see some affects from it. It's a tough one."

Klickitat County Commissioner Don Struck said he too worried about the future impact of the snags over water rights.

"This is a city issue, not a county issue," Struck explained. "But I met with some contractors, and if there are no water hookups, they might have to start laying off people. There are some nervous folks out there."

John Mann, owner of Mann Made Construction, a general contractor from Bingen, said the water rights issue is already starting to have an impact on house construction in the area.

"People looking to develop in the urban growth area are totally shut down right now," Mann said. "It's not affecting us for now, because everything we're doing is in the city limits. But there will be direct affects if this continues into next year. It could be real serious for the building industry in White Salmon. It could have major impacts."

Mann said he felt the city government has been bogged down with infighting and unable to get anything done.

"This is affecting potential projects for next year, and it will until this is resolved," Mann explained. "Who knows when that will be. We haven't seen the city of White Salmon capable of making anything happen for about two years now."