BELLINGHAM – A long-standing water conflict on the Lummi Peninsula was settled Thursday, as the state Department of Ecology, the Lummi Nation, the U.S. government and other water users reached an agreement on the use of a freshwater underground aquifer.
The Lummi Peninsula is located between the Strait of Georgia and Bellingham Bay. Residents get their water from the aquifer, which is surrounded on all sides by salt water.
If too much water is pulled from the aquifer, salt water could pollute the fresh water.
Water issues surrounding the aquifer have been in dispute since the 1990s. The settlement states that the aquifer can support the withdrawal of approximately 900 acre feet of water per year and still maintain water quality standards.
Ecology will monitor water use from the state allocation of 120 acre feet per year, and the Lummi Nation will monitor water use from the remainder allocation to be used by tribal members and by non-Lummi who receive water service from the Lummi Nation.
In order to monitor both water use and water quality, all residents with a well will be required to meter their wells and provide water quality sampling data.
The agreement still needs to be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
