Kittitas County, state and tribal officials gather to celebrate water conservation efforts

ELLENSBURG — More than a decade ago, Kittitas County landed in trouble with the state over complaints that a proliferation of rural domestic wells was hurting senior water right holders’ supply.

That prompted the state Department of Ecology to enact a controversial moratorium that halted new rural construction in Upper Kittitas County.

Efforts to solve the problem prompted an unprecedented series of conversations between often fiercely competing groups of farmers, developers, tribal officials, environmentalists and county officials who set aside their differences and together hammered out a landmark 2014 settlement that promised adequate water supply for fish, farms and rural development.

Public and private water banks were established with systems that better account for water usage. The county was able to purchase senior water rights for future development.

On Wednesday, those groups gathered at the Melvin R. Sampson Coho Hatchery in Ellensburg to celebrate progress.

Ecology’s former director, Maia Bellon, recalled the day she signed the settlement.

“When I signed the settlement, I was hoping one day I would be saying ‘we got this done,’” she told a crowd of about 50. “Today is that day.”

Water has long been overallocated in the Yakima Basin. For many years, rural domestic wells — those pumping less than 5,000 gallons a day — were exempt from permits and water rights requirements.

That changed when a 2015 state Supreme Court ruling made county governments responsible for assuring adequate water supply and a legal right to tap it before issuing construction permits in unincorporated areas.

Since that time, other counties have looked to Kittitas County’s experience as a possible roadmap to developing their own water policies.

Yakima County established a water utility in 2018 that requires metering and usage fees. Revenue from the fees is set aside to buy more water rights for future development. Kittitas County decided to allow a mix of public and private water banks to achieve the same goal.

Bellon told how she and others who had labored to establish the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan — a multi-year effort that involves securing water for fish, farmers, municipalities and habitat — convinced Gov. Jay Inslee to make the plan law.

Bellon said she feared it would end up in a folder collecting dust somewhere without any real implementation.

“Not just some report that we did a few years ago, but something that could get funding,” she said.

Bellon also touched on the importance of having the Yakama Nation come to the table to help address the issues. The Yakama Nation is one of the largest water rights holders in the basin.

The tribe had long voiced concern over water consumption, saying enough water needs to be left in the rivers and streams for fish.

But when moratorium hit, Bellon said she feared litigation could mean shutting off existing rural domestic wells in unincorporated areas of the county.

So she called Phil Rigdon, superintendent of the tribe’s Department of Natural Resources.

“Please don’t make me shut these wells down,” she said she told Rigdon.

Rigdon applauded the work of the groups for listening to what the tribe had been saying for years about the importance of protecting the basin’s habitat while still allowing for farming and development.

“Let’s make sure our fish are taken care of first,” he said.

Former Kittitas County Commissioner Paul Jewell, who was part of the discussions, credited Rigdon with bringing the tribe to the table and helping establish a plan that everyone could live with.

“We’re in your debt, Phil; we couldn’t have done it without you,” he said.

But the work isn’t finished, said Tom Tebb, director of Ecology’s office of the Columbia River.

“This problem is only going to get worse due to climate change,” he said. “So we’re going to have to figure out how to manage these resources and manage them wisely.”