City takes $123,000 chance for water rights

Published 12:34 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

NORTH BEND – The City Council has approved funding for the first portion of a plan that could bring new water rights to the area and help lift a four-year construction moratorium that has severely impacted North Bend’s finances.

If the plan is successful, North Bend officials could secure enough water rights for the next 50 years, supporting 100 percent of the city’s projected growth. The result would find the city’s dwindling coffers filling from construction projects previously not allowed due to the moratorium.

If the plan is not successful, city officials could find themselves throwing away $123,000 in a stagnant economy and paying a remarkably high price for water from another source.

In 1999, North Bend officials voluntarily banned construction projects that required water within its city limits when it was discovered that for years the city had been using the wrong calculations to determine how much water was allocated from the 1965 state issuance of water rights. With no new issuance of water rights on the horizon and facing the possibly of fines from the state’s Department of Ecology (DOE), the city was forced to halt new construction projects. Since that time city officials have been working to secure additional water rights in a state known for its strict guidelines on the issue.

For the complete story, pick up a copy of this week’s Valley Record