History and Additional Information of the Lands Hill Water Rehabilitation & Consolidation Project

The Lands Hill well consolidation project took several years of planning and many months of construction. It involved the installation of water distribution lines to Lands Hill from the Juniper Beach Water District’s (JBWD) treatment/pumphouse on Ell Rd. From the initial preliminary discussions and meetings in 2005 to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) loan contract signing in March of 2011, the project took a phenomenal amount of planning and coordination until the project was completed in April of 2014. The project involved the Lands Hill area was annexed into the JBWD and its retail service area boundary, formation of a Utility Local Improvement District (ULID), development and approval of many plans, assessments, and surveys (i.e., archeology, easements, water system plan, hydrogeologic assessment, water right reviews, construction and bid documents). 

The major components of the project were:

1. Transfer exempt well limit of 5,000 gallons per day to JBWD (*still in progress),

2. Transfer ownership of LHWA well to JBWD,

3. Transfer/include LHWA well into JBWD well field (*still in progress),

4. Install approx. 4500 linear feet of new 8" and 4" water mains,

5. Install new water meters and pressure reducing valves

6. Install five fire hydrants,

7. Demolish existing LH water reservoir.

8. These changes updated the current Lands Hill water system and consolidated ownership and maintenance responsibilities to JBWD from the Lands Hill Water Association.  This acquisition eliminated a small water system and improved the overall oversight of the sole source aquifer.  The result is the better management of the aquifer and the improvement of overall water quality. 

There are 29 properties within the JBWD ULID District #1. There are 10 lots within the Lands Hill Plat that were considered “Association Connected Lots”. The JBWD Connection Fee for the “Association Connected Lots” was paid through the Transfer and Connection Charges provision in the Agreement for Transfer of Water System dated 02/02/2011.

The ten (10) "Association Connected Lots" are listed by their Geo Parcel Number:

Lot 5-6; S7340-00-00006-0

Lot 10; S7340-00-00010-0

Lot 13; S7340-00-00013-0

Lot 14; S7340-00-00014-0

Lot 20; S7340-00-00020-0

Lot 23; S7340-00-00023-0

Lot 25; S7340-00-00025-0

Lot 27;S7340-00-00027-0

Lot 28; S7340-00-00028-0

Parcel R3322-046-3210

Update on Well Consolidation Portion of the Project (August 1, 2021)

The well consolidation portion of the project has taken may years of planning, and construction finished in the Spring of 2014.  Part of the consolidation project was to transfer the ownership and water rights of the Lands Hill well into the water rights of Juniper Beach Water District (JBWD).  We are in the final stages of consolidating the water permit from the Lands Hill exempt public water withdrawal into Juniper Beach Water District's existing Water Rights. This has included coordination with the Department of Ecology (DOE), and State and Local Health Departments. The Water Right Change Application includes water use data and a Publication of Consolidation. 

In July of 2021 JBWD sent letters and documents to the “Original 10 Connected Properties” in the Lands Hill Water Rehabilitation and Consolidation Project.  As we neared the final steps of this well consolidation project, what we were not aware of is that individual property legal agreements are required to prohibit the construction of another exempt well to serve the area previously served by the exempt (Lands Hill) well. Even though we did have in place as part of the original transfer agreement a legal agreement to prohibit further use of the Lands Hill well, we were not aware we would be required to have individual property designated agreements.  According to the WA State Department of Ecology (DOE), each of the ten (10) originally connected properties must have a binding upon the property’s title.  This is in the form of a “Declaration of Restrictive Covenant”.  Basically this prohibits the drilling of a well on the property.  

The legal reference DOE is referring to is as follows:

RCW 90.44.105 (3)

“legally enforceable agreements have been entered to prohibit the construction of another exempt well to serve the area previously served by the exempt well to be discontinued, and such agreements are binding upon subsequent owners of the land through appropriate binding limitations on the title to the land;”

We consulted with our District’s legal counsel and they created the necessary legal agreements that will satisfy the DOE requirement.  JBWD is now in the process of gathering the legal documents from those 10 property owners and will file them when all 10 are received.   JBWD Commissioners were available on two different evenings in late July to meet with those property owners and had available a notary to sign the documents. 

JBWD has found that projects such as these are a long and complicated process. We experienced delays and unexpected hurdles throughout the project. The Department of Ecology and Island County’s review of the water right modification is complicated and has taken an unexpected amount of time to be ready for final review and approval.  Our goal is to have all these Declaration of Restrictive Covenants ready for filing by August 4th, 2021. 

If you desire more information or further explanation of this well consolidation process, please contact JBWD.

Update September 15, 2021

All ten Declarations of Restrictive Covenants have been recorded with the Island County Auditor’s Office and copies forwarded to the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Update August 28, 2023

On September 5 and 12, 2023, the following public notice will be published in the Stanwood-Camano News.  JBWD is closer to combing water rights and the Lands Hill Well into its water rights and well field designation.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF APPLICATIONS TO CHANGE WATER RIGHTS

TAKE NOTICE:

That Juniper Beach Water District of Camano Island, Washington on August 11, 2021, filed Water Right Change Application Nos. CG1-000457CL, to change groundwater claim G1-000457CL with a priority date of October 1, 1943; CG1-GWC3754@5, to change groundwater permit GWP 5252 with a priority date of April 7, 1960; and CG1-28177, to change groundwater permit G1-28177P with a priority date of April 25, 2003. All three of the water rights authorize a combined withdrawal of 91 gallons per minute and 69.5 acre-feet per year.

The proposed change under Water Right Application No. CG1-000457CL includes:

Add points of withdrawal: The claimed points of withdrawal are located within the NW quarter of the NW quarter and the SW quarter of the NW quarter of Section 27, Township 32N, Range 3E, W.M., within Island County. The proposed, additional points of withdrawal are located within the SE quarter of the NW quarter of Section 27, Township 32N, Range 3E, W.M., and the NE quarter of the NE quarter of Section 28, Township 32N, Range 3E, W.M., within Island County.

The proposed change under Water Right Application No. CG1-GWC3754@5 includes:

Add point of withdrawal: The permited points of withdrawal are located within the NW quarter of the NW quarter and the SW quarter of the NW quarter and the SE quarter of the NW quarter of Section 27, Township 32N, Range 3E, W.M., within Island County. The proposed, additional point of withdrawal is located within the NE quarter of the NE quarter of Section 28, Township 32N, Range 3E, W.M., within Island County.

The proposed change under Water Right Application No. CG1-28177 includes:

Add points of withdrawal: The permited point of withdrawal is located within the NE quarter of the NE quarter of Section 28, Township 32N, Range 3E, W.M., within Island County. The proposed, additional points of withdrawal are located within the NW quarter of the NW quarter and the SW quarter of the NW quarter and the SE quarter of the NW quarter of Section 27, Township 32N, Range 3E, W.M., within Island County. 

Change purpose of use: The permited purpose of use is Commercial. The proposed purpose of use is Municipal.

Protests to these applications must include a detailed statement of the basis for the objections. Protests must be accompanied with a fifty dollar ($50.00) non-refundable recording fee. We accept check or money order only. Do not send cash. Send your protest with the $50.00 fee to the Department of Ecology at the address below within 30 days from September 12, 2023:

Department of Ecology

Cashiering Office

PO Box 47611

Olympia, WA 98504-7611

Published in the Stanwood-Camano News, September 5th and 12th, 2023