BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Bainbridge Island will sell water to the Kitsap Public Utility District’s South Bainbridge Water System in the summer months under an agreement the City Council approved 6-1 on Oct. 27.
The KPUD system suspended new water connections in February. Under the interlocal agreement, KPUD will design, permit, build and pay for an intertie on Eagle Harbor Drive that links its South Bainbridge system with the city’s Winslow water system.
The city will supply up to 40 gallons per minute between May 15 and Sept. 15 in the first year. That covers the 21 gallons per minute KPUD needs to fully serve existing customers at peak season, plus pending connection requests. Starting in year three, the amount can rise by up to 9 gallons per minute a year, to a maximum of 85 gallons per minute.
At its peak, that would be about 45 acre-feet a year, out of the 1,920 acre-feet the city is permitted to withdraw annually. The agreement says it is less than 5% of the city’s booster pump capacity. The intertie can also carry water in either direction in an emergency, year-round. KPUD will pay the city’s single-family commodity rate.
The agreement lasts seven years or until KPUD develops a new water source, whichever comes first. Either side can end it without cause on 24 months’ notice. Starting in year three, the two utilities will review each year how many new connections have been added, how conservation is going and what progress KPUD has made on a new well.
KPUD’s board voted Feb. 10 to temporarily suspend new connections on the South Bainbridge system, according to the agreement. At the council’s direction Oct. 13, conservation language was added to the agreement, along with changes on liability and indemnity that KPUD accepted, according to the staff report.
Super-users
Deputy Mayor Kirsten Hytopoulos cast the lone no vote. She said she supports the intertie but wanted KPUD to be accountable for addressing super-users, the residential customers who use far more water than most.
“I feel uncomfortable voting for this without a little bit more of a reportability requirement on actually addressing the superuser question,” she said. She added that data shared with council members suggests that without those users, “we wouldn’t even need the Intertie at this time.” She also raised concern about continued pumping from the Fletcher Bay aquifer.
Councilmember Mike Nelson said he opposed the first version of the deal because it had no end date. He said negotiations produced a seven-year term, a no-fault exit, conservation check-ins and limits to summer months and specific amounts.
“Ultimately, I do believe it solves a short-term problem. I don’t believe it’s the long-term solution,” Nelson said. “It is the right thing to do, and so I am going to support it.”
Councilmember Lara Lant thanked KPUD commissioners and staff in the audience. “Bainbridge Island is one community,” she said. “Whether or not you belong to the KPUD family or the COBI family, eventually we are all one family on this island.” Councilmember Leslie Schneider said the city also has its own responsibility to deal with heavy users. Mayor Clarence Moriwaki credited the city’s volunteer Utility Advisory Committee for its work on the agreement.
Residents weigh in
Two South Bainbridge customers urged approval during public comment. Chris Frye said he has data on water use across the island’s three large systems, the city’s and KPUD’s South and North systems. He said his analysis will show very large consumption by some residential users in all three. Matt Rain said the shortage had already hit home for him.
“I went to get a building permit on the island, and I was told no,” Rain said. “No, because we can’t currently guarantee adequate water supply.”
Later in the meeting, during the budget hearing, the council voted 7-0 to have city staff study high-volume residential users in the city’s own water system. The study will look at tiered rates, surcharges, consumption limits and flow restrictions. Staff are to find the money in the existing budget.
Leave a Reply