Mattawa in line for additional water rights

MATTAWA — The city of Mattawa has secured a place in line for new water rights. 

Jamin Ankney of Gray and Osborne, the city’s engineers, said the Washington Department of Ecology is taking applications for additional water rights in very limited areas, a consequence of local conditions in those areas. 

“There are very few places in the state where you could go and say, ‘Hey, I’d like a water right.’ But the Columbia River is artificially increasing the groundwater in this area, in southern Grant County, so they’re opening it up for applications,” Ankney said. 

Engineers and city officials worked with a consultant to file an application, which has been accepted, Ankney told Mattawa City Council members at the May 1 meeting. 

“It’ll be a slow process, but you guys have your place in line,” Ankney said. “Once you get it, you have to pay a yearly fee. Initially, you’ll be paying for something you’re not using, but it’s not an onerous yearly fee to be able to maintain this and not have to worry about water rights for a long time.” 

Engineers analyzed future needs when determining how much water to ask for, he said. 

“We tried to look at 50-year projections on water rights, and with what you have now, you will be good for 50 years,” Ankney said.  

Engineers will also be making a proposal to the Wahluke School District that may free up additional water for city use.  

The district also has water rights, but does not have a separate system, using city water instead, Ankney said. 

“For right now, (the WSD) water right is counting against the city’s water rights. There’s a way in which an agreement can be worked out between the city and the school district where it protects the school district’s water rights. It lets them continue to use their water from the city’s wells, but it lets the city not have that count against the city’s water rights,” he said.  

The proposal will be presented to the Wahluke School Board later this month, he said.  

Council members also approved a bid of about $912,100 from Tommer Construction, Ephrata, for repairs and pavement preservation for some Mattawa streets this summer.  

Christian Weishaar of Gray and Osborne said the bid was under the original estimate for the work. The project will be funded through a grant from the Washington Transportation Improvement Board and is contingent on TIB approval.  

Weishaar said most of the streets are scheduled for work on the south side of Government Road. It’s not a full-on paving job, he said, but it will add a new layer over the existing surface.  

“They’re going to take a pulverizer to what is there since it is patchy,” Weishaar said. “They’re hoping to pulverize and create a uniform grade and then come in with what is called chip seal, which is a smoother-riding rock, so when you drive down there, you’re not shaking your car apart. Hopefully, you’ll get seven to 10 years.”