Medical Lake extends application moratorium

MEDICAL LAKE – After several summers of struggling to meet water needs, the city of Medical Lake is continuing to hold off new development applications.

City Administrator Doug Ross said the City Council extended a land-use application moratorium for another six months on Oct. 16. The moratorium is intended to create time for the city to assess its water resources.

“The council just thought it was in the best interest of the city,” Ross said. “The goals are really to get some conservation measures in place.”

The moratorium blocks applications for long plats, short plats, rezones, subdivisions and “basically anything that increases density,” he said. It does not prohibit construction on previously defined lots.

“It’s not a building moratorium,” he said. “You just can’t create more lots.”

Ross said new construction in Medical Lake has slowed recently, but not stopped. Commercial development has tended to increase in recent years.

The city will have to bolster conservation efforts if it wants to continue to grow, he said. Efforts include exploring new water sources, reducing water usage where possible and educating the community about the issue.

City Council members first approved the moratorium last spring after reviewing a new six-year water plan, Ross said. Engineering documents outlined a decline in available water since the last measurement.

“Ten months out of the year, we’re fine,” he said. “Two months out of the year, we struggle.”

Those two months have led to voluntary water restrictions asking residents to refrain from watering between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., Ross said. The time limit has not cut the number of gallons used, which has increased by about 10 million gallons since last year, but it reduces unused evaporation and lets the wells refill during the day.

“It doesn’t waste as much,” he said. “We just ask people to water smarter.”

Ross said voluntary restrictions could soon become mandatory if an alternative is not found. Other measures under consideration could make area water costs more expensive after residents exceed a set limit.

“I could see a significant rate increase once you hit a certain gallon,” he said.

Water supply concerns have also increased opposition to a proposed property rezone along Stanley Road that could allow for the construction of a 42-unit, low-income housing complex.

The Planning Commission will make a recommendation on the rezone at 5 p.m. tonight at the Medical Lake Elementary School. The City Council will make a final decision at a later date.

Local developers are aware of the water problems on the West Plains, Ross said. The city received a couple land-use applications last year, but has not seen many this year.

Residents have expressed both frustration and understanding regarding water limitations and the moratorium.

“Water is a wonderful, wonderful resource,” he said, “that we’re finding out is not limitless.”