Proposed Water Pipeline To Guemes Island

Skagit County Public Utility District submitted a grant application to the State of Washington for $1,000,000 towards a $2,000,000 pipeline to carry water under Guemes channel from Anacortes. Now, according to Greg Peterka, engineering manager, the PUD will "cancel the Anacortes-Guemes transmission line grant application with DOH [Department of Health]! (not a misprint or humor). The pipeline idea is over".

LineTime sent the following questions to the Skagit PUD, as well as a request for a statement explaining the proposal and its subsequent withdrawal.
LineTime
Greg Peterka, Engineering Manager for Skagit PUD
Where did the idea for the project originate?

The Anacortes/Guemes source (waterline) concept has been discussed in the past whenever discussions involve long term water solutions for Guemes Island. Discussion first took place in the late 1990’s when the District reviewed a list of options for serving water to the Potlatch community that was under order to abandon their wells due to seawater intrusion.

This list of options was assembled by a consultant from Whatcom County. It included the Anacortes-Guemes pipeline as one option, but that option was considered to be too costly to pursue.
Who made the decision to file the grant proposal?

Greg Peterka, Engineering Manager for Skagit PUD, submitted the grant application.

Due to the approaching deadline the application was submitted to the State without detailed engineering or discussion. It was completed in about five hours. The District first heard of this funding source approximately two weeks before the submittal deadline. The Guemes Island application was completed and submitted to the State on the deadline date.

A short time prior to that, the District submitted two other applications for unrelated water projects for other community water systems.
Who are the intended beneficiaries of this project?

Since the pipeline on the island would be extended over time, the present and future property owners on Guemes Island would be the primary beneficiaries of this project.

Fire protection would be available on the island as the water system developed.
Who would benefit financially from the project? Primarily, those that are having well problems, those who may draw seawater into their existing well, and those who would otherwise need to acquire a future drinking water source without taking on the usual risks associated with drilling for water.
The grant application is for $1 million for a $2 million project.
Where will the second million dollars come from?

The estimated cost for the project ($2 million) was selected to maximize the net grant amount ($1 million).

The cost estimate for this sort of project was based on estimates developed in the late 1990’s (upwards of
$450,000) and has not been recently updated or evaluated. It is the sort of project that could cost even more due to permitting issues.

If the grant were to be approved and accepted, there would need to be further research and discussion before a plan for cost distribution could take place. As a rule of thumb, the property owners benefiting from a project pay for their share of the project costs, minus any portion for grants and other contributions.
How many hookups are you planning for? Will hookups be mandatory or voluntary?

The eventual number of hookups was not explored.
History shows that the District has never forced a property owner to abandon their private well to connect to a public system.

Other agencies such as the Dept. of Ecology or Health could someday require connection to a public system under unique circumstances. New building permits on the island could someday be conditioned upon connecting to a public water system, especially if the lot fronted on a public waterline.
Where will the water come from? Does the City of Anacortes have sufficient capacity and are they willing to guarantee water to us in perpetuity?

The water was to originate from the City of Anacortes water system which provides filtered water from the Skagit River.

Capacity and other issues were not investigated, but it was assumed that adequate arrangements could be made with the City of Anacortes. Similar arrangements with the City have taken place over the past 30 years on Fidalgo Island.

The water system for the City of Anacortes is strong, reliable, and well run.
Is this project subject to vote and, if yes, by whom?

It would be too early to determine who would vote and who would make the decision to proceed to the next step of this concept, if any.

If the grant for this project was rejected (likely in this case), no such questions would apply. The application was submitted in hopes to highlight the pipeline project in the minds of health officials, environmentalists, and those that would benefit from it.

When will the decision on the grant application be made? The State indicated to the District that a “list” of projects may be available by March of 2004. Since this application has been withdrawn, it is no longer being considered for funding.
Additional comments:

The District’s engineering department saw this project as a long term engineering remedy for ongoing groundwater issues such as seawater intrusion and existing, struggling community water systems that may someday ask the District to become involved.

It is important to understand that District policy makers are not comfortable with assuming the responsibility of groundwater water systems (existing or future) on a sensitive island such as Guemes. Sea water intrusion issues are a significant concern for the District.

This grant application was submitted in hopes to offer Guemes Island residents a future option to solve the long term need for reliable drinking water.

Mr. Peterka regrets having made the application on behalf of the Island, and he wishes the best for the people of Guemes Island.