Issaquah Aquifer Comment Period
U.S. EPA Considers Request to Designate Lower Issaquah Valley Aquifer “Sole Source”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a citizen’s petition to designate an aquifer system in King County, Washington a “sole source aquifer.” A sole source aquifer is an underground water supply designated the only or principal source of drinking water for an area. EPA uses two criteria to decide if an aquifer can be designated: it must be the sole or principal source (at least 50%) of drinking water for people living in the area; and, there can be no other feasible drinking water source in the area.
The system EPA is considering is the Lower Issaquah Valley Aquifer. The petition states the aquifer lies underneath parts of the cities of Issaquah and Sammamish, and parts of unincorporated King County. According to the petition, the aquifer provides 80% of available drinking water to people it serves, and is vulnerable because contaminants can travel from the ground surface to the aquifer in a short time. The petition states that there are no other sources of drinking water nearby that would be economically feasible to develop.
Fact Sheet (PDF) (2pp, 86K)
Download the Petition (PDF) (47pp, 3.8Mb)
The petition is also available at the Issaquah Library, 10 W. Sunset Way, Issaquah, WA 98027, 425-392-5430; and the Sammamish Library, 825 228th Ave. N.E., Sammamish, WA 98074, 425-836-8793.
EPA will review public comments and analyze technical information to decide if the area meets the sole source criteria. EPA will consider comments that relate to the aquifer system boundaries, drinking water use calculations, and other drinking water sources. A designation would allow EPA to review and approve federally-funded projects which could contaminate the aquifer.
Contact:
Martha Lentz
800-424-4372 x1593
lentz.martha@epa.gov
TTY users call the Federal Relay Service, 800-877-8339,
Contact: Martha Lentz 206-553-1593 Lentz.Martha@epa.gov