POSTED ON JULY 29TH ON JZ KNIGHT’S WEBSITE:

“Mayor Ron Harding stated in his July 17, 2009 monthly column in the Nisqually Valley News (NVN) that the City of Yelm is attempting to secure additional water rights though what he says is a difficult task, compounded by outside interests who would stymie our efforts and stop all progress.

Harding did not state what outside interests he was referring, yet the inference was clear. I took out a full-page paid-advertisement in the NVN July 8, 2009 to set the record straight about the Citys misleading comments and disparaging remarks about citizens who speak out against improper and unlawful conduct printed in copious amounts of space in the NVN May 22 and May 29. Interesting to note the citys and newspapers silence about my advertisement correcting their misinformation.

See that ad here.

What Mayor Harding needs reminding is that property owners inside city limits and owners peripheral to the city who are using the same aquifer as the city are all affected by the illegitimate use of local aquifer resources because the city has not been following procedures put in effect to preserve the use of those resources for private use, without impairment.

The City of Yelm has continued to maintain in their Draft Water System Plan, their MDNS & DNS that the huge increases in pumping water will have no environmental impact. The city has been relying on adding more water rights through the application to transfer the McMonigle water rights to the City of Yelm and has been using these requested but not approved additional water rights to justify they have enough water the last few years for increased city expansion. On July 20, 2009, Ecology REVERSES the decision of the Thurston County Conservancy Board and now says the City of Yelm is not approved to use the privately contracted water from the McMonigle water rights, leaving Yelm in a precarious position where their Draft Water System Plan may not be viable and the city could already be pumping more water than their allocated 796 acre feet per year.

The lack of regard for the environment by the City of Yelm has finally been noted in a landmark decision rendered by Ecology.”

Copyright 2009 JZ Knight. All Rights Reserved
used with permission.

MAJOR DEPT. OF ECOLOGY ACTION NOTED
And this in the July 17th Seattle Times:
Well drilling banned in western Kittitas County
“Washington state water regulators on Thursday banned all well drilling in western Kittitas County, effectively halting most new development in a favorite dry-side oasis for Seattleites.

The emergency ban announced by the state Department of Ecology is effective for 120 days, but the agency signaled it could extend the ban unless Kittitas County agrees to more limits on water usage.

Ecology Director Jay Manning acknowledged the potential economic impact, but said negotiations with Kittitas County commissioners had broken down.”

IS YELM NEXT FOR SHOWDOWN WITH ECOLOGY?
STAY TUNED!