Sometimes it's hard to get excited about groundwater. Rural residents of Snohomish County, like me, generally belong to one of two quiet groups--those that have good wells, and those that don't. And both have this in common: wells that were tested for "stuff" once upon a time. If the building inspector stamped the right form, the source of the water was then forgotten.
Like whiskey and dark, orange chocolate--blended and poured over ice cream--Snohomish County groundwater is especially tasty, not to mention absolutely necessary. We can't live without it; we're all in love with Earth's Wild-Whiskey Chocolate Sauce. Homes that don't have fresh water...do have "For Sale" signs in the front yard, and they're permanent fixtures. The original purchase price, maybe $200,000--maybe $2 million doesn't matter. Homes with wells that run dry or become toxic suddenly become worthless.
Homeowners and builders that find themselves unexpectedly without water often end up in bankruptcy. We've all seen them, the abandoned homes with sunken roofs. As we drive by, we wonder what happened.
Thanks to my love of geology (and M.S. from SUNY), a friend recently approached me with a question about our water supply. "I have a septic system," she said, "so it doesn't matter how much water I use, right? I put it right back into the ground. If I'm returning the water, surely there's no such thing as using too much?"
I appreciated my friend's concern, and she highlighted a common misconception--that our septic system returns water to the original source. Amazingly enough, groundwater is very much like starlight. The photons touching our eyes when we stare at Betelgeuse in the night sky, for example, left that star 640 years ago. While we watch, they come to rest in the depths of our retinas at the end of a 3,840 trillion mile journey.
As for groundwater, individual molecules often travel a great distance before finding a well. They, too, reach us at the end of a magical journey; theirs through the space-time continuum of porous rock. While Betelgeuse's starlight might seem old, paleowater from the famous Ogallala Aquifer of the US Great Plains probably dates back to the last ice age. That means roughly 65% of US irrigation uses water ~20,000 years old. (Not bad, eh Betelgeuse?)
Well drillers know that deeper is usually better because earth and stone act as natural filters. They also know that the higher the number of impermeable layers (like clay) they drill through to reach an aquifer, the greater the protection from surface contamination. This is really important for those of us with little-boy family members who play in the back garden, and can't always be trusted to go inside to pee.
According to Dr. Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute (Oakland, California) the average household requires about 50 liters of water per person, per day--not including gardening. After we consume it and process it, it begins a new journey, takes a new path to somewhere else. The water we return to the Earth via septic system almost never makes it down to our well intake, as long as it's a good well. (I have a friend with a shared residential well that's only 6 ft deep. This does not count as a good well.)
The water dispersed by a septic field sinks into the ground, hits the first sloping impermeable clay layer and flows downhill--or it evaporates. Either way, there's no return...no such thing as sneaking back to the watershed nest.
So yes... It does matter how much water we use--even when we have a well--even when we use a septic system. Plus, too much water flow through a septic field decreases its efficiency, and way too much water can cause it to overflow. And trust me, an overflowing septic system is a seriously nasty disaster!
Sadly, we need to get excited about groundwater really fast because our favorite Wild Whiskey Chocolate Sauce is being attacked. When too many homeowners, developers, or businesses consume the water upstream, the wells downstream run dry. Since huge new developments are being planned right now, we all have to wonder... Can my own well survive?
Consider this...the slope of the aquifer may not match the slope of the land at the surface. Your surface water may be running towards the East, and your well water may be running towards the West. So it can be hard to tell if you should worry about that new rural cluster being developed just up the hill from your home. They might be putting themselves first in line for your water supply--or not.
That's why we have a WA Department of Ecology, and an important local resource, Snohomish County Planning and Development Services (PDS). These groups are charged with studying this stuff, and they're supposed to pay attention to the difference between water sources that are sensitive and those that aren't. It's their job to make sure new businesses, new condos, and new schools are planned in a way that protects those with a financial stake in growth, as well as existing residents. After all, what developer wants to build a bunch of new homes only to have the wells run dry before they're sold?
Unfortunately, PDS doesn't have a good record of enforcing permitting restrictions. Politics and money influence PDS's development policy, even though they should know that responsible development earns more money for our communities in the long run. They seem to be overriding the Dept. of Ecology in favor of another manual that says, "Develop anywhere you want. We have a permit for that."
This stinks, and it's unexpected--but we're not helpless. Here's what we can do:
1. Demand a change in regulatory culture from our Snohomish County Executive, Aaron Reardon. Tell him you care about Wild Whiskey Chocolate Sauce (oops, I mean water) and that you want him to uphold building codes and population density guidelines. His SnoCo website is being revamped to make it easier for us to share input. Let's use it!
2. Arm yourself with knowledge about where your water comes from and where it goes. Look at the topography of your property. Which way does your liquid garbage flow--the extra lawn fertilizer, the pet poop extract? Even if we don't like the neighbors downhill very much, it's worthwhile examining our chemical usage every once in a while just to see if we could use a little less.
Think of this article as a good excuse to ignore the dandelion and clover flowers in your lawn. Tell your neighbors they stay green without fertilizer; they grow more vigorously than grass; they probably consume more carbon dioxide. Those are my excuses, anyway.
3. Lend a hand to environmentally concerned citizens like Ellen Hiatt-Watson--people who want our communities to grow; want new neighbors and new stores; want great jobs for our local building professionals--but know that Snohomish County Planning and Development Services must do its job. Growth must happen in ways, and in places, that are sustainable.
4. Notice that State Representative Dan Kristiansen (39th LD, pos. 1) doesn't express any concern about the environment anywhere on his website (except in one vague reference to meth manufacture). Notice that Kristiansen's challenger in this November's election, Eleanor Walters, grew up in a community where water and salmon were important to the economy.
Eleanor's website explains her understanding of the critical links between great jobs, community growth, and clean water. On May 25, Walters went on record to say, "Groundwater is essential to our continued quality of life here in the 39th district. We need to work together to protect this vital resource." Let's give her our support!
I know it can be hard to work up much emotion about groundwater. As a geologist, I understand. For some of us, it's helpful to think of water as if it were Wild-Whiskey Chocolate Sauce. Another friend of mine thinks gin and tonic with a twist of lime makes a better analogy... Either way, we can't afford to run out, to let our properties go fallow. Not now. There's only so much hardship we can take. ~Elizabeth A. Scott
Useful links:
*For access to your very own well log online: www.apps.ecy.wa.gov/wellog/
*For info about the impact of fertilizers on groundwater from WA State University: www.cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1722/eb1722.html
*For links to Snohomish County public officials: www.co.snohomish.wa.us/
*For info about Eleanor Walters: http://www.eleanorwalters.com/
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