Are city water connections outside the city helping or hurting?

Over the years, the Leavenworth City Council has debated the issues related to having connections to city water that are outside the city limits. Once again, the issue was discussed at the Sept. 12 study session as part of the discussion on water system policy. 

City Public Works Director Herb Amick told the council the city must update the water system policy every seven years. Currently, there are 1,000 water connections. There is an adequate supply to meet existing demand for 20 years, but not 50 years. More water will be needed. 

There are $12-13 million in improvements to the water system that need to be made, $2.5 million in improvements to meet water efficiencies, $7 million is facilities improvements and $3 million for future growth. 

The water system plan details the proposed water efficiency goals. 

“When we look at the goals and the overall water system plan, probably this most critical area is improving the infrastructure so we don’t have as much leakage. When you look at where the water is wasted most it is the leaks,” said City Administrator Joel Walinski. “The community has done a very good job in terms of reducing water use over time.”

The year 1987 was a high point for water production in the city. It has gone down since that time, Walinski said, in terms of gallons per residential equivalency. Generally, the trend is in the right direction. 

The city is currently tightening up water use for irrigation using automated systems. Walinski said whenever a hotel or motel does an improvement project, the building code requires them use low flow showers and those types of things. 

All new buildings in town are required to do that, Walinski said. Mayor Cheri Kelley Farivar said installing new water meters is a big issue. 

“We have a segment of the community that is pretty worried about this. Maybe it is still too early, but do we have a plan for the process of public outreach? Seems like public education is going to be necessary,” Councilwoman Mia Bretz said. “There is a whole Facebook group about people against radio meters. It sounds a little paranoid, but they are basing their arguments in science. It sounds they are worried about something and need more information.”

Walinski said, from 20 to 50 years, the city will be going through the coordinated cost reimbursement through the Wenatchee Reserve. He said the paperwork has been delivered to the Department of Ecology. 

“Those water rights would give us enough for 50 years. That means there are some other things that come into play. The water system plan is planning for the city of Leavenworth proper and the urban growth area,” Walinski said. “It does not include any planning for out the Icicle Road, Shore Street, East Leavenworth. That is not included in planning for this water system. Right now, the city only provides water in hardship areas (outside the city.)”

Depending on the water rights Chelan County receives out this process and what the city receives, there might be a conservation about the city getting more water rights to provide water to those residential areas outside the city. 

“For us, having more water accounts is one way to keep the pressure off rising rates. The flip side is, by providing additional water out there, you’re going to increase the density out there,” Walinski said. 

“They have now already increased the density pretty significantly over what wells will provide. That’s why we continue to hear from developers out the Icicle Valley that want to break off a lot and they have to have city water to do it,” Farivar said. “So the county, in my mind, has put the onus on the city, because the county will tell a developer or homeowner, you can do this if you get city water. Then, the pressure is on the city to provide water outside of our authority.”

Farivar lamented the city council is always the one to make those hardship decisions on water. There is not an administrative authority to make those types of decisions. 

“That has to come before the council. We have yet to turn one down because when somebody comes to city council with a good argument for another hook up in their location, their idea of hardship affects us,” Farivar said. “It shouldn’t be a council decision, in my mind. We should have this laid out it policy and code, so the decision can be made by the administrator.”

With a hardship, there is no real planning, Walinski said. 

“There is a combination of, we’ll provide water service, but there has to be a discussion on what does that planning actually look like for that. Where are the smart places to build additional homes? That is the part that is missing. What we see is it just kind of happens,” Walinski said. 

Over and over again, Farivar said these things come before the council. 

“These are our friends and neighbors that live out there and want to do this. When they come to us and say, you have water which is already into my first house, why can’t I hook up a second? That brings up a whole new mindset for the city,” Farivar said. “Do we want to sell water? If we have sufficiency and it is within our purview to assist these people, maybe we do. Maybe we want those additional hook ups. Maybe those additional water customers keep our water plant solvent. Maybe we should consider that.”

When the water system plan was developed, the service area is the city of Leavenworth and the urban growth area, Walinski said. There are some individual lots on the Icicle loop where the city provides water. 

Once someone gets water, it’s the city’s responsibility to provide service, but that is not the city’s service area, Walinski said. Once you go down that road, the city is committed. 

“These lanes, Wilson, Shore and Prowell that go on toward the river off Icicle Road...back in the day when the city had lots of water and was allowing anyone to connect to it. There is a spaghetti bowl of lines and they’re aging,” Farivar said. “We had one incident on Shore Street where there is a leak. They call the city. Who’s responsibility is it to fix that? The negotiation that Herb and Joel have to go through is torturous. It is a really unpleasant. It’s a hooked onto-hooked onto-hooked onto mess. I don’t think we know where all those lines are.”

Water and sewer has always been the way the city pulls in annexations, Farivar said. If that is altered, it will affect the city. 

“With 1,400 connections, that is not enough real density to disperse the capital costs to flatten the rates. Having more accounts takes off the pressure. The Department of Health is interested in that, but the Department of Ecology weighs in a different direction,” Walinski said. 

“It’s another gnarly problem this city council is going to have to deal with,” Farivar said. 

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.