Protecting the Quantity and Quality of Our Water

Our League believes that our overriding consideration concerning water resources should be protecting the quantity and quality of our water. We advocate: 

• Enforcement of existing and future water laws supported with adequate funding, reliable data, and public education.  
• Additional state legislation to reduce or eliminate the use of exempt wells.
• The reflection of water availability in population forecast models.
• A cost-effective management system for collecting water resources data. 

UPDATED WATER STUDY

An update of our 2008 water study was first approved by the Thurston League at its annual meeting in May 2018. The report was extended at the 2021 LWVTC annual meeting to allow for report-writing and consensus building toward revising the LWVTC position on water resources. So far, this study has included: 

• Determining study priorities and scope. Based on this process, the study timeline was extended to three years. 
• Seven Where’s the Water forums (2019-2021) reviewed what we know about water resources in Thurston County. The forums provided a review of past research on water availability as well as the status of water resources in Thurston County as determined by new research. Video links below.
• Following the work of the five Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIA) that are in Thurston County. The WRIA are water resource inventory areas or watersheds.
• Compiling the reports and presentations in preparation for writing the report. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

Reports and presentations are now being collated in preparation for report writing. The study will be reviewed by issue experts and a reading committee to ensure the report meets the standards of the League in regards neutrality, thoroughness, and readability.   
 
Following publication of the study, the League will hold consensus meetings during which members who have read the report answer questions about the study material which gets collected and consolidated to frame a new position for our League.  


Water Study -- Thurston County’s Freshwater Future