HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Works Feb 20 2024Whatcom County
Council Public Works & Health Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
1:15 PM
Hybrid Meeting
HYBRID MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 1:50 P.M. (PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE
REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR
CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Kaylee Galloway
Jon Scanlon
Mark Stremler
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final February 20, 2024
Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Jon Scanlon called the meeting to order at 11:15 p.m. in a
hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Kaylee Galloway, Jon Scanlon, and Mark Stremler
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Todd Donovan, and Ben Elenbaas
Announcements
Special Presentation
1. AB2024-1333 Coordinated Water System Plan Update
Sue Sullivan, Health and Community Services, read from a presentation (on
file as "Plan Update").
Donovan stated there is a bigger issue here about what the zoning capacity is
allowing in these areas that are running out of water. He asked whether
these places should be down -zoned to accommodate or reflect the reality of
diminishing groundwater supplies or whether other places might be
up -zoned to compensate for that. It may be beyond the Coordinated Water
System Plan, but he asked how we get a connection between this problem,
that is probably going to persist and get worse, and land use. He also asked
about rules for interties.
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intn the hnimino nricic nntd hnild hle land and this is nart of that; NP
suggested they bring the Planning Department, the PUD and the Health
Department together and suggest some reforms.
Chris Heimgartner, Whatcom Public Utility District (PUD), spoke about
the 1992 resolution. He stated since 1992, no utility has failed in Whatcom
County, so, in a sense, it was very premature. But the people in 1992 knew
what was going to happen eventually and it happened last year. There are not
any limits on what you can do in terms of helping one of these small
utilities; it is bound by finances. And in these cases, the help was too
expensive so they chose to go a different way. But it is a longstanding
problem that is probably going to get worse and needs all the right people
identified.
Dave Olson, Water System Services, answered whether the four
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Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final February 20, 2024
Committee
associations affected by the drought were the only four in the entire county,
and stated these were the obvious ones that did not have advanced
monitoring. There are others, that have more sophisticated monitoring
ability and management skills, that were at or near the precipice of more
problems. He answered why it was concentrated in one general geographic
area and whether there was something going on in that particular area. He
stated if you were to look at a general North/South axis roughly through that
area (extending further north of the impacted area and further south of the
area) there is a general trend of declining static water level. The overall
water table is dropping over time. One association was able to go deeper
(which is their obligation under water right practice and policy) and address
their problem.
Sullivan stated Council will see a draft interlocal agreement (ILA) next
quarter and then the final draft of the Coordinated Water System Plan for
review, hopefully by the end of the year or early 2025.
This agenda item was PRESENTED.
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adiournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 1:46 p.m.
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Jon Scanlon -via email 2/29/2024
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Dana $rown`;bavis°, (ouncil Clerk
Jon Scanlon, Committee Chair
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Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
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