Jim Zukowski wrote this for the Yelm Community Blog:

[with all of the news this blog has been reporting about Thurston Highlands in default]
“And this is on top of the City’s plan to move ALL of their water rights to the Thurston Highlands Master Planned Community (THMPC).
Go figure…

I just finished reading four columns of legal notice in the 1-May-2009 edition of the NVN (mostly page C6). The city plans to acquire more water rights (how and from whom?) over the next 28 years, increasing their draw from various aquifers to 4186 acre-feet per year. The current wells in downtown Yelm and at the golf course will be phased out as new wellfields are drilled in THMPC.

I find this rather disturbing, not only for the total amount of water beingdrawn, but for the “all eggs in one basket” concept.
While the proposal is for a “wellfield” in THMPC, it still localizes all of the city’s water “production” at one “facility.” This is too clearly a recipe for disaster.
Should anything happen to that wellfield or the storage tanks located there, the city — and all of its citizens — would be very much S.O.L. (I can’t think of a better way to describe it.)

This project is on a VERY fast track.
The Comment period is only until 15-May, and the Appeal period (to the hearing examiner [ha!]) is only until 22-May-2009. That’s only two weeks for comments, plus an additional week to appeal, from the original publication date of 1-May.

THAT’S THIS FRIDAY, FOLKS!

I think this fits into the category of “Holy S#!t!”

Mr. Zukowski is exactly correct and most do not even know what is being foisted on them by the City of Yelm!

The City’s website lists the:

Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance
File Number ENV-08-0397-YL
Proponent: City of Yelm, Washington
Description of Proposal: Allocation of 3,233.73 acre-feet (af) of water per year and the transfer of 952.27 acre-feet of water per year for municipal purposes in 4 Phases between 2010 and 2037. Phase 1 would allocate 554 af of water in the SW Yelm area between 2010 and 2012. Phase 2 would allocate an additional 388.34 af of water in the same area, and transfer 719.66 af to the SW Yelm area from the existing downtown wells. Phase 3 would allocate an additional 875.39 af of water in the SW Yelm wellfield
and transfer 232.61 to SW Yelm from the Golf Course well currently under development. Phase 4 would allocate an additional 1,416 af of water in the SW Yelm wellfield for a total water portfolio for Yelm (both existing and new water rights) of 4,186 acre feet.

Location of the Proposal: The SW Yelm wellfield would be located in the Southwest quadrant of the City of Yelm in the area of the Thurston Highlands Master Planned Community.

Threshold Determination: The City of Yelm as lead agency for this action has determined that this proposal does not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will not be required under Section 43.21C.030 (2)(c) RCW. This decision was made after review of a completed environmental checklist and other information on file with the lead agency.

Let’s review this again:
“The City of Yelm as lead agency for this action has determined that this proposal does not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will not be required under Section 43.21C.030 (2)(c) RCW.”

LET’S PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE:

1. “a total water portfolio for Yelm (both existing and new water rights) of 4,186 acre feet?”
Jeepers! Yelm has an allocation of 796.66 acre feet per year now from the DOE.
The city wants to pump 5 times more?

2. has anyone ever thought what that much water pumped would do to private water users’ wells?
Or Thompson Creek?
Some have. READ THIS!

3. The MDNS says “The City of Yelm as lead agency for this action…”
WHY is the city the lead agency when the Dept. of Ecology is already on this issue?

4. Thurston Highlands is the location of this proposal. Several key questions arise from the location:
– Thurston Highlands, LLC is in default, the developers are out of the picture?
– how do the banks that now own the Highlands land feel about the city wanting to pump water from land they control and is up for public auction June 5th?
– does the city have an easement or ownership on the Highlands property? (i.e. NO!)
The city’s easements rights expired last year.
– the Water System Plan is based on land the city does not have a right to access.

5. Pumping 5 times more water than today “does not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will not be required…”
WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE THINKING!

6. Why is something so important not on the city’s Homepage, rather buried on the Public Notices page?
Does the Community Development Dept. not want the community to know?

PLEASE WRITE YOUR COMMENTS TO
Grant Beck
Community Development Department
City of Yelm
105 Yelm Avenue West
Yelm, WA 98597
by THIS FRIDAY May 15, 2009, at 5:00 P.M.
or via e-mail
grantb@ci.yelm.wa.us

TELL MR. BECK YOU DEMAND HE STOP THIS WATER SYSTEM PLAN AS THE AMOUNT OF WATER WILL EFFECT PRIVATE WELLS – I.E. DRY THEM UP!
TELL MR. BECK TO STOP WASTING TAXPAYERS MONEY FOCUSED ON LAND THAT IS IN DEFAULT, DUE TO BE AUCTIONED ON JUNE 5TH AND TO WHICH THE CITY HAS NO RIGHTS OR ACCESS!

Why is the City of Yelm proceeding with the Water System Plan when the whole premise of the Plan is no longer valid, since the citys water system expansion is based on serving Master Planned Communities (MPC), the largest one being in default?”

People are hurting and wondering why they have to pay for a water plan through increased rates to expand the citys water system to handle a large development and the developers are now out of the picture.

HELLO, IS THERE ANYONE HOME AT CITY HALL?