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January 8th, 2010

Department of Ecology Notifies County of Possible Closure of Carpenter-Fisher Creek Basins to New Water Uses

SKAGIT COUNTY - On December 11, 2009, the Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) issued a letter to Skagit County warning that the use of groundwater for domestic purposes in the Carpenter and Fisher Creek basins will likely be prohibited in the near future and recommending that drilling of additional wells in this area should cease immediately. (A copy of the letter is available at www.skagitcounty.net)

The letter states that current accounting shows that the amount of water set aside for future development in the Carpenter/Fisher Creek sub-basin established in the Skagit Instream Flow Rule is nearing depletion and that DOE will likely issue an administrative order within the next few weeks closing the sub-basin to any additional groundwater or surface water withdrawals.

The affected area is shown on the attached map at www.skagitcounty.net. In the letter, DOE strongly recommends that Skagit County cease from making decisions on building permit or subdivision applications that rely on groundwater as their water source until Ecology can complete a formal accounting of water use in the sub-basin. Developments that utilize water from the Skagit PUD are not effected by this decision since the PUD gets its water from Cultus Mountain, which is located in a different sub-basin. Ecology also issued a fact sheet with the letter which is also available for viewing at www.skagitcounty.net

For further information, contact:

Dan Berentson
Communications Director
360-419-3461