PIPELINE
Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts
Articles from the September 2003 Publication
Officers and Directors This change should provide each new President-
Elect sufficient time to recruit members for
Elected at Annual Meeting standing and temporary committees prior to
The members of the Washington Association of assuming office.
Sewer and Water Districts elected new officers
and members of the Board of Directors at their Annual Awards
Annual Meeting held on Friday, September 12th. The 2003 Annual Awards were presented at the
Larry Jones, Commissioner, Alderwood Water and conclusion of the Fall Conference, which was held
Wastewater District was reelected to his second in Portland’s Downtown Marriott Hotel.
term as President. Matt Warner, Commissioner, The 2003 District of the Year was awarded to
East Wenatchee was also reelected to his second Silverdale Water District. Accepting the award were
term as Vice President. In addition, Ken Goodwin, Commissioners David Cook, Marcus Hoffman, &
Commissioner, Woodinville Water District was Seley Moore
elected to his third term as Treasurer of the
Association. East Wenatchee Water District was also nominated
for this year’s award.
Pam Martin, Commissioner, Coal Creek Utility
District was elected as Secretary of the Commissioner of the Year was awarded to Neil
Association, a position she has held in the past. Kimsey, Hazel Dell Sewer District, Vancouver,
Washington. Commissioner Kimsey received his
Commissioners Walt Canter, Cedar River Water & award for his support of his District and the time and
Sewer District and Commissioner Neil Kimsey, effort he has dedicated to the Association.
Hazel Dell Sewer District were elected to their
second terms on the Board of Directors. Manager of the Year Award for 2003 was presented
to Ron Sheadel, Cedar River Water & Sewer
Vince Koester, Commissioner, Highline Water District. Ron was recognized for his efforts with
District was elected to the water only position King Co. and other local governments to protect and
currently held by Commissioner Mark Hullinger, serve his District’s customers.
Lakewood Water District. This will be Koester’s
second time on the Board of Directors. The Director’s Award was present to three Districts
for their pioneering efforts in constructing a major
New to the Board are Dean Thiem, General water supply project within the limitations and
Manager, Penn Cove Water & Sewer District. issues of the Endangered Species Act. Alderwood
Dean will be replacing Roger Eberhart, Manager, Water & Wastewater, Silver Lake Water, & Cross
Olympic View Water and Sewer District, in the Valley Water Districts are the recipients of the 2003
Management Level Employees’ position. Directors Award.
Also new to the Board is Peter Moy, Financial
Consulting Solutions Group, Inc. Peter is taking Inclusion of Wastewater
over the Associate Member position from
outgoing Director Kelly Snyder of Roth Hill
System Planning in Muni
Engineering Partners, LLC. Water Bill
The new Board members and Officers will be The requirement that wastewater utilities include
sworn in at the end of the December Board of water reuse and coordination with local water
Director’s meeting and assume their positions on purveyor water system plans in their comprehensive
January 1, 2004. This change in effective date planning process is forging new relationships
resulted from a recent change in the Bylaws, between Dept. of Ecology Water Quality staff and
which aligned the terms of office with the budget the staff of the Dept of Health’s Office of Drinking
and committee years. Directors and Officers serve Water (ODW).
from January 1 to December 31.
September 2003 PIPELINE Articles
PIPELINE
Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts
Articles from the September 2003 Publication
For the first time Ecology Water Quality plan Conference during the Legislative Workshop but not
reviewers will have to coordinate with OWD staff one attending expressed interest in the topic.
on their reviews of wastewater system
There may be 10-12 additional water related bills
comprehensive plans. Wastewater systems now
introduced by other parties during this next session.
must investigate and discuss within their plans the
Well relocation is an issue that many WASWD
impacts of water conservation on their conveyance
ground water members are interested in seeing
system and/or treatment capacity.
introduced and passed.
Water systems must investigate opportunities for
To assist in passage of these bills Gov. Locke has
the distribution and use of reclaimed water in their
again retained the services of Jim Waldo and his
water system plans. For combined districts this
firm.
may be an easier task than for districts that provide
only one of the services and will have to plan in
conjunction with other utilities.
DOH Drinking Water
A joint DOE-DOH internal committee has been Delaying Review of Some
formed to coordinate these changes between both Water System Plans
agencies. Conservation, reuse, and system The Office of Drinking Water (ODW) has issued
capacity have now all been merged and will notice that it will delay the review and approval of
require joint agency participation. water system plans currently in process due to the
changes brought about by the passage of 2E2SHB
Governor Locke To 1338, the Muni Water Bill. This bill, which became
effective on September 9th, contains major changes
Continue Seeking Water to the way DOH addresses service area and the types
of water rights held by purveyors.
Law Changes
Members of the Governor’s Water Team speaking The Office of Drinking Water will contact purveyors
at the Department of Ecology’s Water Resources whose plans will be affected by this delay and
Advisory Committee meeting in September provide guidance in how the system can operate
announced that the Governor would be actively during this delay.
supporting at least two major water bills in the Following is a quote from a memo sent out by ODW
upcoming 2004 legislative session. regarding this delay
The first will be a bill dealing with relinquishment. “...a number of provisions related to water system
This is a bill that has been sought by the planning make it imperative that we thoughtfully
agriculture community for many years. The issue review our water system plan and small water
can be important to special districts that will in system management program approval processes.
future years need to purchase ag rights to maintain The Office of Drinking Water, therefore, will need to
supplies to their district’s customers. It those define necessary changes to its planning related
rights are subject to relinquishment they might not approval processes, including any additional
be there when needed by districts. information needed from utilities, before completing
The second bill deals with achieving instream our review and approval of pending water system
flows. How they intend to achieve flows is plans and small water system management
unknown as no additional information was programs. Review of any water system plan or
provided regarding these bills. small water system management program elements
not affected by the new statutory requirements will
The water team is also seeking information from continue without interruption.”
various stakeholder groups on their positions on
changing the exempt well statutes. The issue of Contact Jim Rioux at (360) 236-3154 or Denise
exempt wells was raised at the WASWD Fall Clifford at (360) 236-3098 at the Office of
September 2003 PIPELINE Articles
PIPELINE
Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts
Articles from the September 2003 Publication
Drinking Water with any questions you may Prior to the winter of 1999-2000, other neutral
have. winters included 1996-97, 1995-96, and 1990-91.
Remember the floods of Nov 1990 and 1995, and
Feb 1996? Or how about the strong windstorm of
Normal Winter Forecasted Dec 1995, or the arctic outbreaks of Dec 1996 or
Ted Buehner, Weather Warning Coordinator Dec 1990?
Summer weather has been one of the finest in Going back in time, the three snowiest winters in
western Washington were neutral years, 1968-69,
years, but winter is just around the corner. So,
1949-50, and 1915-16. In the last 50 years, of the 25
what’s the outlook for this winter?
wettest years, 18 were “neutral” winters. Our
Last winter had an El Nino event that translates to nation’s strongest non-tropical windstorm, the
warmer than average conditions in the Pacific Columbus Day Storm, occurred during a neutral
Northwest, with no correlation to above, below or winter in 1962-63.
near average precipitation. The winter did turn out
We are still early in this game for this year. Sea-
to be warmer than average, and regional
surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific could
precipitation amounts varied but were in general
change before we reach winter, moving away from
close to average. The warmer conditions resulted
the neutral conditions. For now though, we appear
in a higher overall snow level and a below normal
to be headed toward a “neutral” winter.
snow pack in lower elevations. The snow pack in
higher elevations was very close to average. The National Weather Service (NWS) Climate
Prediction Center (SPC) currently indicates
El Nino is when sea surface temperatures in the
indeterminate conditions for the Pacific Northwest,
eastern Pacific Ocean tropical waters are warmer
meaning even odds on above, below or near average
than normal. As a result, mid-latitude weather
temperatures and precipitation for the entire winter
patterns shift. In the U.S., the Pacific jet stream
season. Given the usual highly variable weather
tends to set up across the southern tier of the
conditions during a neutral winter, we will likely
country, producing healthy precipitation. Did you
have at least one arctic outbreak, one significant
notice how wet Texas, the gulf coast, and
wind event, good potential for an extended heavy
southeast were this past winter?
rainfall or “pineapple express” event with major
The other two tropical Pacific patterns are La Nina flooding, and periods of dry mild weather. In
and neutral conditions. La Nina is when eastern essence, temperatures and precipitation will likely
and central Pacific tropical waters are cooler than average out close to normal winter conditions for the
normal, usually producing wetter than average entire season, along with mountain snow pack.
conditions in the Pacific Northwest. Neutral
So, stay tuned as we head into this fall and winter,
conditions are when tropical Pacific sea surface
and be prepared for a much more active and
temperatures are close to normal.
hazardous winter this year. Monitor the latest winter
Well, El Nino is gone! As of mid August, it looks weather outlook, issued during the third week of
like we are headed toward a neutral winter, the each month, via the Seattle NWS web site at
most common of the El Nino, La Nina and neutral www.wrh.noaa.gov/seattle. The latest winter
conditions. outlook is linked as a headline on the front page.
So, what do “neutral” winters mean for our area. This web site, along with the other NWS offices
In short, they produce highly variable or serving Washington State in Portland, Pendleton,
changeable weather throughout the winter season. and Spokane, also offer the latest area forecasts and
Some neutral winters have very active weather, conditions, and much more.
others not. Ted Buehner, Warning Coordination Meteorologist
Our most recent “neutral” winter was 1999-2000, National Weather Service - Seattle/Tacoma
which was not very active. However, our neutral
winter history shows some very active years.
September 2003 PIPELINE Articles
PIPELINE
Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts
Articles from the September 2003 Publication
Washington Water Utility
Council to host 1338
Implementation Workshop
The Washington Water Utility Council (WWUC),
a subcommittee of the PNWAWWA, will conduct
a workshop on Friday, October 24th to explain to
utilities how 2E2SHB 1338 will impact their
system. 1338 contains major changes in water law
that will affect how water and wastewater utilities
operate in the future.
While the State Agencies attempt to figure out
how they intend to implement these changes the
members of the WWUC felt that utilities needed to
fully understand the ramifications of these changes
so they may better participate in the State’s
implementation process.
The workshop will be held at the Moses Lake
Convention Center in Moses Lake please contact
the Association office for registration information.
The cost of the workshop will be $30 to cover
lunch and venue costs.
Neither DOH nor DOE staff will be attending
hopefully making the free flow of questions and
comments more open. If you have questions about
these major changes in our States water law plan
on attending.
Patty Grau & Phil
Montgomery - Lifetime
Members
The members of the Washington Association of
Sewer and Water Districts voted to induct Patty
Grau, Manager (Retired) of Hazel Dell Sewer
District and Phil Montgomery, Manager (Retired)
of Ronald Wastewater District as Lifetime
Members of the Association.
They join with Charlie Johnston (East Wenatchee
Water) William Lothspeich (Hazel Dell Sewer)
and Terry Matelich (Val Vue Sewer) as Lifetime
members.
September 2003 PIPELINE Articles