Water agreement reached
July 9, 2008
By James Spung
Major step toward securing future water source for Sammamish
After five years of negotiation, the Cascade Water Alliance, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe reached a multifaceted agreement that strives to ensure a future water source for many Sammamish residents.
The resolution, signed June 25, will allow both tribes to have a say in future water enactments surrounding the apportionment of Lake Tapps as a water source. With the tribes’ blessing, Cascade officials hope to secure Lake Tapps as a water source for their members in the future.
The resolution comes as Cascade remains in the process of purchasing the outmoded reservoir from Puget Sound Energy.
The water-rights resolution must still be approved by the state. Both the resolution and Cascade’s purchase of the lake are expected to be finalized by the end of the year, said Lloyd Warren, Cascade’s Sammamish representative.
“Owning it is one thing, and using it as a water supply is another,” he said. “The key to getting a water right in this state is getting approval from the tribes.”
Cascade is an organization of eight cities and municipalities dedicated to providing water to meet the growing demands of its members. Both the city of Issaquah and the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District have belonged to the alliance since its formation in 1999.
Cascade supplies many residents with city of Seattle water and plans to contract with the city of Tacoma for water in the next decade. Lake Tapps will not be used as a water source until the mid-2020s, Warren said.
The Sammamish Water District still has enough of an independent supply to meet its needs, but it will have to use Cascade water soon, especially after a hot summer and continual growth, Warren said.
“The important thing is that Cascade is on track to meet its supply obligations to its members,” he said. “We’re not behind or late. We’re still on schedule.”
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