By Rich Anderson
October 23, 2006

Redmond, like many northwest coast cities, has plenty of rainfall each year but the pressure of population growth continues to strain its water supply. Redmond is fortunate to have significant groundwater resources. In the early 1900s the city relied on water from a nearby spring. When a fire destroyed several prominent buildings downtown it became clear that the city needed a reliable water supply for fire protection. In fact, developing and maintaining a clean and reliable water source was a major motivating factor in the decision to formally incorporate Redmond as a city in 1912.

In 1952, after unreliable surface water sources plagued the city and hindered growth, the city turned to the ground to tap a seemingly endless supply of clean water. As Redmond developed and its population increased, additional groundwater infrastructure was added to the system to keep up with the demand. The city has come to rely on groundwater for more than five decades as a reliable and cost-effective source of water.

Today, groundwater supplies nearly 40 percent of the city’s water demand. The city’s five wells can produce up to 5.3 million gallons per day or 1.9 billion gallons of water per year. Redmond’s water system consists of more than 373 miles of water pipes; 13,000 metered water connections; 2,700 fire hydrants; and, 7, 900 mainline valves.

Redmond derives many public benefits from using city owned groundwater. It is a proven, clean and reliable supply source that costs only one-third of the cost of importing water from the regional utility. In fact, owning a significant groundwater resource provides leverage in negotiating supplemental supplies. The city is more independent because it manages its own supply. Groundwater provides a vital link during emergency situations; wells can be pumped even if infrastructure is damaged, providing fresh water to our community.

A number of critical factors were identified by city leaders and managers that led to the decision to adopt source water (or wellhead) protection measures. One of these factors is the geologic condition in the city. Redmond’s groundwater comes from a shallow, unconfined aquifer. Groundwater is pumped from as shallow as 20 feet below the surface and is, therefore, very susceptible to contamination.

Location is another critical factor. Redmond, like many other cities, has grown up around its centrally located water wells. The five drinking water wells were installed before land use zoning designations prohibited many of the current land uses and activities surrounding the wells. Today, Redmond’s wells are located in the middle of business, industrial, and manufacturing centers. While this is advantageous for access to water supplies, many of the current land use activities bring with them a high potential for contamination to Redmond’s aquifer. In fact, Redmond has experienced some of those impacts in its wells: sewer breaks; solvents from dry cleaners; leaking underground fuel tanks; gasoline additives such as MTBE. Mayors across the nation are familiar with these and other sources of groundwater contamination. So, there should be no wonder why Redmond developed a comprehensive groundwater protection strategy including land use controls and other measures.

“Our strategy is comprised of an integrated series of steps that are proving to be effective in preventing future impacts to our groundwater,” said Redmond (WA) Mayor Rosemarie Ives. “We identified the recharge areas for the wells, and prepared an inventory of potentially contaminated sites within these areas. We did a comprehensive audit of all federal, state and local ordinances to ensure compliance with existing environmental laws. Then, we took on the task of public outreach to explain why a groundwater protection ordinance was in the public interest,” said Ives.

The city ensured that the ordinance was developed with community input. A first draft ordinance was published, followed by sequential public comment periods. Staff worked with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and industrial groups to ensure that the proposed regulation was both protective of the groundwater resource and considered impacts to business. Several improvements were included in the refined ordinance. This collaborative process resulted in an ordinance that shared widespread support throughout the business and regulatory community

The ordinance contained several action mandates: development of technical and educational assistance programs; development of a hazardous material questionnaire to quickly identify operations which use hazardous materials; coordinating information collection with the Fire Department to minimize reporting requirements; and ensuring that implementation did not increase bureaucracy, or impose new permits or fees.

Redmond was fortunate to have a good water supply that allowed growth but the supply that supported growth was threatened by the very growth it supported. “We asked the question – ‘Is our glass half empty or half full?’ Initially we thought a choice would have to be made between our thriving downtown city core area and our independent local drinking water supply. We wanted both, and so chose to protect our water resource and maintain our vibrant downtown with the groundwater protection ordinance. The city benefits economically by having its own safe water supply, and we continue to experience positive growth trends,” said Ives. Redmond has benefited from implementing innovative groundwater protection and improvement programs that safeguard its water supply while effectively balancing growth and minimizing impacts to local businesses. You could say Redmond’s glass is full!