ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE ON MAY 5, 2010 @ 2:58PM

While the NVN is reporting:
“The processing of Yelm building permits is no longer in suspension.

The city received word from the Department of Health about its conservation program and received additional connections to its water system because of it,”

WAS THE CITY’S MANDATORY COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION CONSERVATION JUST A RUSE FOR THE CITY TO REQUEST MORE CONNECTIONS – TAKING WATER AWAY FROM BUSINESSES TO GIVE TO NEW HOMES?

Health capped the number of water connections Yelm could have based on how hook-ups as of April 23rd, as stated in an April 8th letter to City of Yelm Administrator Shelly Badger. This led the city to put in-place a moratorium on accepting any further building permits. The city appealed to Health to increase the number of connections based on a commercial irrigation conservation ordinance the City Council enacted.
Ed. Note: Absolutely amazing how fast Health issued an increase to Yelm’s water connections!

In response to the Yelm Community Blog’s question about Yelm’s increased number of water connections, Bonnie Waybright, Assistant Regional Manager of Washington State’s Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water said,
“We have updated the citys approved number of connections to 3,235, based on the capacity assessment they submitted to us. This number takes into account the citys conservation savings, past consumption data, water right limitations, and physical capacity limitations. It shows the city has enough water to serve 47 additional connections, assuming they are all single-family homes. Because connections other than single-family homes can use more or less water than the average home, the city will need to track anticipated water demand for each non-residential connection to ensure they stay within their capacity limit.”

OK, approximately 47 more additional single-family home connections allowed. HMMM!
Yelm will have to re-enact a building moratorium before too long, then!

“…the city still is on pace for 75 housing starts this year, Community Development Director Grant Beck said… Although 10 were issued in the January through March period, 12 have been issued this month, Beck said,” quoting last Friday’s Olympian.

Those 22 new building permits issued between January & April will need to be connected to the city’s water system soon, added to many previously issued building permits about ready to connect.

How can Beck say the city is on pace for 75 housing starts this year when he knew on April 8th the city was limited in water connections according to Health’s letter?
And now we learn the city is allowed to add only 47 more single-family homes to its water system?
What happens when those approved building permits become housing starts and are not permitted to be connected to the city’s water system?

An astute Blog reader commented:
“cut back consumption by 50% so more permits and houses can be built.”
HMMM! that IS a very good point.
So, mandatory commercial irrigation conservation was NOT about conservation at all, rather was just to allow the city to convince Health to allow more connections, so the city can issue more building permits?
And, the city still over-pumped their Ecology water allocation in 2009.
With more building permits being accepted, Yelm is on-track to over-pump in 2010, too!
There seems to be no intent of the City of Yelm to reduce water consumption to get within their Ecology allocation, if commercial irrigation conservation was merely to appeal to Health to allow more connection that in-turn has the city accepting more building permits.
WOULD YOU INVEST TO BUILD A HOME IN YELM KNOWING THIS?
YIKES!