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Which basin is my parcel in?
To clearly identify your parcel, go to Skagit
County's OneStop Property Search webpage and search by your
address or parcel number.
Department
of Ecology Maps: Lower
Skagit River | Upper
Skagit River
How can
I get water for a new home in a closed basin?
You may have several options to supply water to your home. First,
contact Skagit PUD or other nearby public water system to see
if they can provide timely and reasonable water service to your
property. You can find a list of public water systems in Skagit
County at the State Department of Health web-site, DOH
Public Water Systems. You may also contact Skagit County Public
Health at (360) 416-1555 or EH@co.skagit.wa.us.
If a public
water system is not available, there may be other alternatives
that must be approved by Ecology.
Who regulates
water?
Ground and surface water in Washington State belongs to the people
of Washington State, not to any particular property owner. The
State Department of Ecology manages water rights, which is a license
for any particular water user to use the state's water.
Why do
I need a water right to get a building permit?
State law empowers the County to issue you a building permit,
but state law also requires that you demonstrate that you have
a legal and adequate source of water before the County can issue
the permit. You can demonstrate that water source in the form
of a water right from the Washington State Department of Ecology,
or as a letter from an approved public water system like Skagit
PUD. Skagit County can't approve your right to use water.
Did the
County agree in the 1996 MOA to give up the right of rural property
owners to use well water?
No. The 1996
MOA requires new single-family homes to use public water where
"timely and reasonable service is available." This is
already a requirement of Skagit County Code. Furthermore, in section
IV(D) on pages
11-12 of the 1996 MOA, "Skagit County reserves the right
to allow exempt wells for single family systems in the Skagit
River Basin above the PUD Pipeline Crossing." Skagit County
also agreed in that section to "address the 5000 gallon permit
exception" for wells. Skagit County did so by implementing
Ecology's 2006 Instream Flow Rule Addendum. With the Supreme Court
ruling striking down the 2006 Instream Flow Rule, everything reverts
back to the original 2001 rule.
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