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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, December 12, 2008
Contact:
Scott
Clark, Advance Planning Manager, 360-786-6807
Water Rights
Secured for Grand Mound
OLYMPIA
– A settlement agreement will allow
Thurston
County
to move forward with major purchases of water rights for the Grand Mound area.
The settlement was worked out with the State Department of Ecology over
parameters set by the Thurston County Water Conservancy Board for purchase of
water rights from the
Port
of
Centralia
and Hamilton Farms. The cost for
the Port purchase is $485,488 and the tally for the Hamilton Farms rights is
$535,362. The funds come from the
county’s Real Estate Excise Taxes which can only be used for public works
projects.
Thurston
County Advance Planning Manager Scott Clark says the agreement will allow for
controlled growth in Grand Mound and a “green” approach to the water
usage. “We appreciate all of the
work done by the State Departments of Ecology and Fish and Wildlife and the
Conservancy Board in evaluating this proposal and the cooperation of the
Port
of
Centralia
and Hamilton Farms in putting the deal together.
This provides for growth of the Grand Mound area that is predicted over
the next 20 years as well as some protections for Prairie Creek and the
Chehalis
River
.”
The
water rights plan calls for the county to provide monitoring and mitigation
for potential impacts in the affected area.
Scott says overall, the plan will be beneficial to the environment.
“Among other things, this transfer of water rights
means less draw down on water supplies during the low flow period of the
summer and an actual increase in water to Prairie Creek during that same low
flow period. The agreement also
recognizes habitat protection policies of the State Department of Fish and
Wildlife.”
Sixty to eighty percent of the groundwater
withdrawals will be returned through effluent from the Grand Mound Waste Water
Plant. Eventually, the county will
develop a reclaimed water facility for the area.
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