ISLAND COUNTY: No reason to worry about drinking water availability in future, expert says
Kira Erickson reports from the Island County Board of Health meeting on Tue., Feb. 18, 2025, for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.
Whidbey Island residents who worry about there being enough water in the future, don’t despair.
During the most recent meeting of the Island County Board of Health, Chris Kelley, the county’s hydrogeologist, provided a presentation on environmental health and drinking water availability.
They Said It
Kelley acknowledged that there have been some concerns in the community about having enough water available.
“We have the water available to add all the new homes that we need right now, without doing any new science, without doing new engineering, without adding new water systems,” he said, adding that it’s about encouraging development in established service areas.
County Commissioner Melanie Bacon pointed to aging water systems that would be expensive to replace. With the changing political landscape, Kelley was unsure which federal funds are still available for infrastructure. At the state level, there are grants and loans available for [larger] systems but not for [smaller] systems.
County commissioners also asked about PFAS contamination in the wells. Kelley responded that [t]wo water systems in the county have exceeded a PFAS maximum contaminant level, and they were in an individual well.
County Commissioner Jill Johnson asked about reducing individual water consumption. Kelley said some water systems use a weighted fee structure to encourage conservation.
Bacon said her constituents tend to get anxious about the amount of water available to support the community.
“I’m hearing, tell me if I’m wrong, that a takeaway from this is that it’s really more about water quality than it is quantity here in Island County, as we’re working on our comp plan,” she said.
Kelley responded that it’s not just water quality but the infrastructure, which needs to be maintained.
“I can’t tell you a lot of things about how much water you’re going to need in the future, how many houses are going to be on Whidbey Island,” he said. “But what I can tell you is, with a guarantee, however much it costs to fix a pipe today is cheaper than it will be tomorrow.”
County Commissioner Janet St. Clair noted that water availability is often a misunderstood topic. County officials agreed to work on improving communications to the public.
“We don’t have a water crisis in all scenarios,” Johnson said. “Some people have saltwater intrusion, we’ve got to figure that out on a one-off basis, but we do not have a countywide situation on our hands.”
Bacon said it’s a good idea to be conscious of aquifer recharge and protecting sources of water as well as infrastructure needs.
