Community Newspaper for Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo, Washington

VIEWPOINT

State's water problems are not new

By Joan Crooks

You’ve heard the news: “The driest year on record” and “Drought declared by Governor Locke.” Yes, this is going to be a dry summer, the worst drought since 1977, or maybe longer. But it is critical that the current drought not overshadow a larger and ongoing problem in Washington – our state has water problems almost every year.

Not only do water problems impact the needs of people and the environment across the state, but they also contribute to power problems since the state gets 78 percent of our electricity from hydropower. If we hope to solve this pressing problem that affects the lives of most every Washingtonian, our elected officials must show more leadership in their response to our water crisis than they have shown in solving our energy problems. So far their efforts are not encouraging.

For years, many have given lip service to the needs for better water management – how much is needed for agriculture, industry and residential use and how much is needed in streams for healthy fish and wildlife. These are crucial questions to be answered and then acted upon. After all, it is one of our most valuable resources and is in limited supply.

The governor’s office has responded to the current water shortages with a four-year water action strategy. This purports to provide water for people and growth and at the same time protect and restore enough water to help out fish – sounds good, right? Unfortunately, more than mid-way through the legislative session the governor’s 2001 legislation falls short of his own goals.

A couple of the main components of the proposal focus on freeing up more water through water transfers and giving more authority to local water boards. When we ask “where’s the water for fish?” we are pointed toward modest tax incentives for water conservation and efforts to find funds to purchase or lease water rights to help out streamflows. We need much bolder action if we are to avoid significant conflicts between water users and the needs of our environment.

Other legislative proposals range from water give-aways for agricultural interests to spending more for planning. If any of this sounds familiar, that’s because most proposals are not too different from what we have seen over the past decade as our state lawmakers have been in gridlock over how to modernize our water laws.

Lawmakers and the governor’s office certainly can’t ignore the problems that will be facing agriculture and some businesses as the drought worsens. But they also should use the drought as an opportunity to educate more people about Washington’s outdated water management system and advocate the need to make some major changes to a system that is based on 19th century thinking.

Yes, we all should install low-flow showers and more efficient appliances, but we also need to confront large-scale water users such as agriculture and industry which together use over 80 percent of all water consumed in Washington.

Three common-sense principles should be the foundation of water reforms that work for people and fish:

• Greater efficiency through water conservation and reuse (water recycling) in order to meet the needs of people, business and agriculture while putting some of the saved water back into streams;

• Greater accountability through enforcement of water laws, such as requirements to meter water use, so that we know how much is being used and by whom; and,

• Great sustainability through protection and restoration of our streams with enough water to support healthy fish and wildlife.

A good first step would be to quickly figure out how much water is needed in rivers and streams to keep them healthy. If too much water is being removed, we need to leave more in streams by decreasing demand through water conservation and reuse, cracking down on illegal water use and, in some cases, purchasing water rights. A broken system can’t be fixed overnight, but our elected officials should be approaching the drought as an opportunity to jump-start the process.

Joan Crooks is executive director of the Washington Environmental Council – organizing citizens statewide to protect Washington’s environment through legislative advocacy, policy development and legal action since 1967.