Watershed plan opponents pack hearing
October 7th, 2004 - 5:50am
(Sequim) -- More than 150 people filled Sequim’s Guy Cole Convention Center last night for the continuation of a watershed planning hearing.
Most of those who testified during the two-and-a-half hour evening hearing urged county commissioners to send the proposed plan back to the planning units for further revision.
Many of those who opposed the plan, said it places too many regulations on exempt wells of residential property owners. They said the county commissioners shouldn’t let themselves become the scapegoats for the state Department of Ecology by decreasing the amount of water that may be drawn from a residential well. Current state law allows an exemption of up to 5,000 gallons per day to be drawn by a residential well.
A handful of plan supporters last night said water resources need to be addressed and the document included the best science available to deal with it.
But opponents of the plan worried the recommendations would
soon become burdensome regulation and complained that the planning process excluded many.
Commissioner Stever Tharinger says part of the reason the planning process began was the state’s desire to deal with a backlog of water right applications that can¹t be granted under current law because too much water has already been allocated.
The proposed watershed plan encompasses the watersheds stretching from the Elwha River to the Sequim Bay area.
The hearing was continued to Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Written testimony will be accepted until noon that day.
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