Two-thirds of voters support a district

It appeared Kootenai County voters were saying “Cheers” to clean drinking water Tuesday.

Early results showed 66 percent of voters in favor of an aquifer protection district.

The measure aims to collect funds for pollution prevention and monitoring the quality of water in the aquifer. Spokane County residents pay about $1.4 million a year through a similar measure.

County residents who live above the Rathdrum Prairie-Spokane Valley Aquifer will pay $6 a year per household and businesses will pay $12 a year to protect the underground drinking water supply.

The group Citizens for Aquifer Protection pushed the measure to replace lost state funding.

While the state has dedicated about $90,000 a year to aquifer protection, the new taxing district is expected to collect about $300,000 a year.

Backers of the initiative, including Republican Idaho Reps. Bob Nonini and Frank Henderson, had worried residents would view the measure as another tax and shoot it down. Henderson said the protecting the aquifer boiled down to a cost of 50 cents a month per house.