PDFWAC 173-505-090
Reservation of permit-exempt groundwater for future domestic uses.
(1) The department has weighed the public interest supported by providing a limited amount of water for domestic uses with the potential for negative impact to instream flow resources. The department finds that the public interest advanced by this limited reservation clearly overrides the small potential for negative impacts on instream resources (RCW 90.54.020 (3)(a)).
Based on this finding, the department hereby allocates a total amount of water not to exceed five cubic feet per second (5 cfs) to provide adequate and safe supplies of water for year-round future domestic uses. Of that 5 cfs, the reservation is further defined by limits on the amount of reserved water that can be withdrawn from the North and South Forks of the Stillaguamish River, as identified in the following table.
This reservation of groundwater is not subject to the instream flows established in WAC 173-505-050 or the stream closures established in WAC 173-505-070.
Table 8
Allocation of Reservation as Measured at Specified River Miles
Water Source (RM - River Mile) | Amount of Water Available, Measured in Cubic Feet per Second (cfs) and Gallons per Day (gpd) |
Stillaguamish River at RM 11.2 | 5 cfs or 3.23 million gpd |
Of that 5 cfs, the following maximums may be taken from the specified locations: | |
North Fork Stillaguamish River at RM 6.5 | 2 cfs or 1,292,544 gpd |
South Fork Stillaguamish River at RM 24.4 | 1.5 cfs or 969,408 gpd |
(2) Use of water under the reservation is available only if all the conditions set forth in this section are fully complied with. Conditions for use of the reservation water are:
(a) The reserved water shall be for groundwater uses exempt from a water right permit application. This reservation is for either single or small group domestic uses, as defined in WAC 173-505-030(5).
(b) This reservation of groundwater shall not exceed 3.23 million gallons of water per day (5 cfs).
(c) Domestic water use shall meet the water use efficiency standards of the uniform plumbing code as well as any applicable local or state requirements for conservation standards.
(d) This reservation shall be applicable only when the appropriate city(ies) or counties submit a written acknowledgment to the department that confirms that any legally required determinations of adequate potable water for building permits and subdivision approvals will be consistent with applicable provisions of this chapter.
Once this chapter is adopted and written acknowledgment is received, the department will promptly notify those city(ies) or counties, the tribes, water well contractors and the public that the reserve is in effect in those jurisdictions where acknowledgments exist.
(e) It shall be the responsibility of an applicant for a building permit or subdivision approval proposing a water use under the reservation to comply with the conditions in (a), (c), (e), (f), (g) and (h) of this subsection and all other conditions of this chapter.
(f) A new groundwater withdrawal under this reservation is not allowed in areas where a municipal water supply has been established and a connection can be provided by the municipal supplier. If an applicant for a building permit or subdivision approval cannot obtain water through a municipal supplier, the applicant must obtain a letter from a municipal supplier prior to drilling a well which states that service was denied. Such a denial shall be consistent with the criteria listed in RCW 43.20.260.
(g) Outdoor water use is limited to the watering of an outdoor area not to exceed a total of 1/12th of an acre for all outdoor uses under each individual domestic water use. Under all circumstances, total outdoor watering for multiple residences under the permit exemption (RCW 90.44.050) shall not exceed one-half acre.
(h) The department reserves the right to require metering and reporting of water use for single domestic users, if more accurate water use data is needed for management of the reservation and water resources in the area of the reservation. All other groundwater users under the permit-exemption shall be required to install and maintain measuring devices, in accordance with specifications provided by the department, and report the data to the department.
(3) The reservation is a one-time, finite amount of water. Once the reservation is fully allocated, it is no longer available. Other water sources may be available under the provisions in WAC 173-505-110, 173-505-120, 173-505-130 and 173-505-140.
(4) The department shall notify the appropriate county, in writing, when it determines that fifty percent, seventy-five percent, and one hundred percent of the reservation has been allocated. The department shall also issue a public notice annually in a newspaper of general circulation for the region that shows the amounts of reserved water that have been allocated and what remains unallocated, as well as identifying any water source that has been fully allocated and from which water is no longer available under this reservation.
(5) If a water use is not in compliance with any condition of this reservation, the department may take action consistent with WAC 173-505-150.
(6)(a) A record of all groundwater withdrawals from the reservation shall be maintained by the department. The department will account for water use under the reservation based on the best available information reflecting actual water uses contained in well logs, water availability certificates issued by the counties, water rights issued by the department, public water system approvals or other documents. When other sources of information are not readily available, the department may account for water use at a rate of three hundred fifty gallons per day (gpd) per residence or business. This figure may be adjusted down to one hundred seventy-five gpd if the residence or business is served by an on-site septic system.
(b) If an entity using water under this reservation subsequently abandons the withdrawal and notifies the department, the water use may be credited back to the reservation.