The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is updating the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area Guidance. The goal of establishing Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas is to protect a community’s drinking water by preventing pollution and maintaining supply. The last edition of this guidance document was published in 2005. Ecology is seeking feedback about what changes or additions the agency needs to consider to help local jurisdictions protect Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas under the Growth Management Act. Ecology will be accepting comments until December 15.
“Areas with a critical recharging effect on aquifers used for potable water are areas where an aquifer that is a source of drinking water is vulnerable to contamination that would affect the potability of the water.” WAC Ch. 365-190
There are two ways to provide feedback:
- To give detailed comments by topics within the guidance, you can download this excel sheet, fill it out, and upload it to Ecology’s survey on the last question
- Or go directly to Ecology’s quick survey (includes a box for general comments). You may skip any question or submit feedback anonymously. The survey should take about five minutes.
After the close of the comment period, Ecology will provide an overview of what was received. The agency will organize the comments into themes and use the themes to help focus the Guidance update.
If you want to stay informed about the Critical Area Recharge Area Guidance update, include your contact information in the survey or email Ecology staff.