Tag Archives: Lower Reid Infiltration Gallery

Water District vs Issaquah: video presentations tell the story

Posted on by
2

The debate is contentious. The Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District says Issaquah wants to inject contaminated water into an area where fecal coliform can infiltrate into an aquifer that provides up to 50% of the drinking water for the District, which serves 54,000 residents in Issaquah (including part of the Issaquah Highlands, all of Providence Point and Overdale), all of Klahanie and other parts of unincorporated King County and roughly three quarters of Sammamish.

Issaquah officials charge the Water District is resorting to scare tactics and its real “agenda” is “self-preservation” and to block the potential annexation by Issaquah of Klahanie. What’s noteworthy of Mayor Ava Frisinger’s approach on this is that by making allegations that the District has an “agenda” and personally attacking the president of the District, she’s avoiding the issues and the City is repeating tactics from 2008 when the Washington Department of Ecology forced (repeat, forced) Issaquah to shut down the so-called LRIG (Lower Reid Infiltration Gallery) in the first place.

Then, according to the press report at the time, Issaquah told Ecology:

They stated that the DOE relied on information supplied by the Sammamish Plateau Water & Sewer District, and said it was “riddled with factual errors,” and contains “inflammatory, incorrect and prejudicial statements masquerading as science and technical analysis.” They also call the monitoring program required by the DOE order “extensive, expensive, excessive, unreasonable and arbitrary.

Frisinger and her administration are following the same line of attack today.

Fortunately, you can see for yourself. Issaquah and the Water District each made presentations to the Sammamish City Council on the issue. Sammamish is trying to sort out facts and has heard from both sides. Issaquah heard the presentation from its own consultant, who also presented to Sammamish, but has so far not wanted to hear from the Water District. It’s clear Issaquah doesn’t give a damn about public opinion or scientific questions over the dispute and it’s equally clear it doesn’t want to hear from the Water District, which is why the District felt compelled to “go public” in the first place.

But you can watch the following videos:

Issaquah Presentation to Issaquah City Council (this was the same presentation given to the Sammamish City Council the same evening). This is 31 minutes.

Water District Presentation to Sammamish City Council on June 4. (Issaquah hasn’t invited the Water District to present to the City Council). Advance to 46:30 minutes for the hour-long presentation.

I think you will find a great deal of useful information that you can compare about who is more factual and more complete.

With respect to the allegation of “self-preservation,” Issaquah is attempting a hostile takeover of a small portion of the District that includes three wells (the ones using the aquifer at risk) in such a way that will dismember the infrastructure to the detriment of Sammamish residents, and those in unincorporated King County. 93% of the District lies outside Issaquah (using Issaquah’s own number) and Issaquah refuses to talk with the District or Sammamish in a way to resolve these issues and concerns. Instead, officials have made it clear that they are only interested in themselves, no matter the consequences to anyone else.

The threat to the water quality is why the Water District is putting up such a fight.

Issaquah stonewalls Klahanie on water at annexation meeting

Posted on by
Reply

Representatives of Issaquah refused to answer any questions at the city-sponsored informational meeting for the potential annexation of Klahanie about plans to inject polluted stormwater into a well that could contaminate the aquifer providing drinking water for Klahanie.

There was a public meeting last night, May 22. They were asked over and over and over to comment on the water issues; they refused every time.

[The Sammamish City Council raises questions over Issaquah’s plans.]

So much for Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger’s pledge of being “open and transparent” on the water permit issue.

Several Klahanie residents asked the representatives of the city about Issaquah’s plans to inject water into the so-called LRIG, the Lower Reid Infiltration Galley. The aquifer provides water to Well 9 owned by the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District, and in 2009 the state Department of Ecology closed the LRIG because fecal coliform (bird and other poop) infiltrated through the LRIG and contaminated the aquifer.

Issaquah on May 8 told another Klahanie-focus meeting that there will be no change in what agency supplies the water, but this omitted the fact that the city is already engaged in a hostile takeover attempt of the Water District.

Here is a Fact Sheet the Water District issued (click on images to enlarge):

Klahanie Fact Sheet Pg 1

.

Klahanie Fact Sheet Pg 2

Become a Party of Interest in the Issaquah/Ecology permit application

Posted on by
Reply

I have learned from the Department of Ecology that it intends to issue its Draft Permit to Issaquah for the right to inject storm water into the so-called LRIG by the end of June. There will be a 30 day comment period from then.

I’ve written several posts expressing grave concern over Issaquah’s plan and Ecology’s intention to allow this. The Lower Reid Infiltration Galley, or LRIG, over an aquifer from which the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District draws water that serves parts of Issaquah, all of Klahanie and parts of unincorporated King County, and three quarters of our city, Sammamish (basically all but the far north end).

Tests have shown in the past high concentrations of fecal coliform (bird and other poop) penetrated past the LRIG and infiltrated into the aquifer. Ecology shut down the LRIG infiltration in 2009 but is prepared to let Issaquah resume this shortly.

It’s important that citizens of Sammamish (and of Klahanie and all areas, for that matter, including Providence Point and Overdale in Issaquah) weigh in on this permit.

By becoming a Party of Interest, you will be notified when the Draft Permit is issued and will therefore be able to comment as part of the official record.

To become a Party of Interest, email Cheryl Thompson at Ecology at chth461@ecy.wa.gov

Check out my previous posts for more information on these issues.