A publication about Island water — aptly called “Liquid Assets” — was mailed to all Islanders a few weeks ago. The Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Protection Committee hopes this will mark the start of a new chapter in a long-running community dialogue about our Island’s water resources and sustainability.
The hope of the committee is that this rich compendium of maps, facts and graphs not only made it to your kitchen table but will become a handy resource for discovery and further learning. If it landed in the recycle box, not to worry; it is accessible online at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/groundwater/management-areas/vashon-maury-island-gwma/liquid-assets.aspx. The Vashon Library also has copies. Check it out!
Feedback so far has been encouraging. As one reader said to me, “There has been a lot of information out there on Island water issues, but this (publication) really helped connect the dots.” That comment struck a chord in me because there are plenty of dots to connect, and there are aspects of the natural water cycle that run counter to what my intuition or casual observation (it rains a lot here) might otherwise have me believe.
Members of the committee collaborated with King County staff and local educators to produce “Liquid Assets,” with the clear intention of demystifying what happens to all that rain. We have tried to provide a road map of our Island water resources, starting, literally, with our roads and going underground. We’ve also described places where people in our community are working to protect water quality and are implementing cost-effective conservation measures.
The report, funded with revenue from our surface-water management fees, cost $17,500 to produce.
If there is a bottom line to this report, it’s this: The Island supports a complex distribution of water resources, not a simple, continuous source evenly distributed. Water may be plentiful in one area — the west side of Vashon, for instance — but scarce in another. It’s as if we have a smorgasbord under the ground, a hydrogeology too complex to lend itself to a simple explanation or categorization.
I feel grateful to live in a place where people give a hoot and have an uncanny ability to dial in when something really matters. I doubt there is any dispute that how we manage and protect water for the benefit of this and future generations is right up there.
Special thanks goes to Donna Klemka, Yvonne Kuperberg, Jay Becker, Susie Kalhorn, Sy Novak and Larry Stockton for the creative drive and necessary endurance to write, design and produce this publication, and thanks to members of the Groundwater Protection Committee for their review and ongoing work.
— Laurie Geissinger chairs the Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Protection Committee
Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Protection Committee
The 10-member Groundwater Protection Committee was appointed by the King County Executive and Council in 2001 to serve in an advisory role to the county and Island water purveyors and to implement a groundwater protection plan. The plan includes groundwater monitoring, providing public education about water and encouraging public involvement in water stewardship, as well as updating the plan in response to new information. Current priorities include improving water monitoring to capture early indications of water degradation or decline, and sponsoring educational workshops, tours and publications. The committee is also starting a review of the Island community plan section of the county’s Comprehensive Plan, to make recommendations for consideration in a 2012 update. Committee meetings are held quarterly and are open to the public. The next meeting is 6:30 to 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, at the Vashon Fire Station on Bank Road. Subsequent meetings will be held on April 27 and Oct. 26. Contact Larry Stockton at laurence.stockton@kingcounty.gov to receive e-mail notices prior to these meetings.
