ISSAQUAH (AP) - Local officials are pumping pure well water into the parched North Fork of Issaquah Creek to protect salmon habitat.
The stream stopped flowing in June. At the state's urging, the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District on Tuesday began channeling up to 500 gallons of water a minute into the creek from a well on the streambank north of Interstate 90. That well and another one nearby have been put off limits for local residents, who are being supplied by two more distant wells.
Officials fear the drying out signals a broader threat to groundwater and salmon habitat, and that it is symptomatic of over development in the area.
The stream needed to be filled to prevent federal agencies from taking action under the Endangered Species Act to protect the region's dwindling salmon runs, said Dan Swenson, a regional manager for the state Department of Ecology. Also, citizens can sue the state if it violates the act.
Washington state gained nearly I million people during the 1990s, a population surge that prompted unprecedented development of farm and pasture land to provide homes and malls.
Booming population on the Eastside has brought more construction and pavement, Swenson said. The area receives an average of 57 inches of yearly rainfall, but more and more of that water is running into storm drains instead of trickling down into the soil. where it can replenish the groundwater supply.
Another problem, Swenson said, .is that several private wells draw from groundwater that helps sustain the river. In 1979, the state forbid new wells from drawing from that aquifer, but many wells were already in place.
Pumping well water into the river is a short-term solution, Swenson said. To prevent similar incidents, officials may have to reach a voluntary agreement with the owners of those wells about restricting their use.
For now, officials are urging area residents to cut back on water use, especially for lawn watering. The water district has also breached a beaver dam to restore some of the creek's flow.
And the area may need to do more to restrict growth, Swenson said.
The Growth Management Act of 1990 essentially forced cities to designate where they will encourage development, but it did not address water issues, said Elaine Kraft, a spokewoman for the King County executive's office.
"We've grown so fast that unfortunately everybody hasn't been able to see what everybody else is doing about water," Kraft said.
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