Kitsap Sun Aquifer Article 3-29-11

Deciding Whether to Attend Aquifer Meeting Tonight?  If you are trying to decide whether to attend the Aquifer Briefing tonight (3/29) at 6:30 pm at the Norm Dicks Center, you might want to read the following article in the Kitsap Sun this morning.  We have attached it below and also linked it http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/mar/28/as-expected-study-predicts-declinging-drinking/.  We will be learning about some of the same issues as they affect Illahee and the surrounding community from a noted hydrologist.

Aquifers Also Feed Illahee Creek.  Not only do our aquifers provide our drinking water, they also provide for the base flow in Illahee Creek, which is necessary to maintain if the stream is to continue to be fish bearing.  This will also be discussed.

Jim Aho

Kitsap Sun                                             Tuesday March 29, 2011

As expected, study predicts declining drinking water supply on Bainbridge

By Tristan Baurick

Monday, March 28, 2011

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — The results of a U.S. Geological Survey study of Bainbridge's groundwater supply were released this week, almost eight months after its preliminary results indicated the island's main sources of drinking water have and will continue to decline over the next two decades.

USGS hydrologist Lonna Frans said there is no significant difference between the preliminary results, which were released in July, and the final 95-page report. It took eight months to formally release the report because of the USGS's extensive review process, she said.

The study's aim was to develop a model that can simulate the potential impacts of increased groundwater pumping over the next 25 years.

Under likely conditions, the large Fletcher Bay Aquifer system, from which many high-capacity city and public utility wells draw water, is likely to drop by up to 10 feet by 2035, according to the study's preliminary results.

None of the study's results showed saltwater intrusion in island wells. Some residents with nearshore wells have expressed concerns about saltwater seeping into wells as their levels decline.

"The groundwater model gives us the tools necessary to make informed and sustainable water resource decisions," city water resources specialist Cami Apfelbeck said this week.

City water resources experts had recently stated that island aquifers were stable, and that any declines were temporary, despite a city-commissioned report that indicated otherwise in 2009.

The USGS report's findings also run counter to the notion that the island's groundwater levels are stable.

"Stable means things aren't changing, and that's not necessarily the case," Frans said when the preliminary results were released. "The (USGS study) does show decreases, and pumping is likely (the cause)."

Groundwater is the island's sole source of drinking water. Concerns about a dwindling supply could steer policy decisions for managing population growth and development.

City leaders expressed concern when the preliminary results were released, but decided to put aside discussion until the final report was released.

Water use has been a contentious topic on Bainbridge. Ensuring that the island has an adequate water supply was the top concern among the issues that worry residents, according to a 2008 opinion survey. Some residents fear that the limited supply fail to meet the demand of a growing population, and that policies should be enacted to better-manage development and water use.

The full USGS groundwater report is available for download at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2011/5021/.