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Hinkle and Warnick secure funding for groundwater study
13th District representatives encourage public to
attend Ecology open houses
A draft memorandum of
agreement on the use of exempt wells in Kittitas County is now available
to the public. Reps.
Bill Hinkle
and
Judy Warnick
today encouraged the public to attend two open houses with the
Department of Ecology and Kittitas County commissioners, who are working
together on the terms of the agreement. Comments will be taken at the
open houses for the draft agreement available at:
http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/cds/current. The agreement is to be
used until more is known about water supplies in the region.
This session, the 13th District
lawmakers secured $600,000 in the supplemental operating and capital
budgets to study groundwater withdrawals. The Legislature requires that
the memorandum of agreement be reached between Kittitas County and the
Department of Ecology before funding is provided.
"Getting accurate
information is critical to water management in our counties' future,"
said Hinkle, R-Cle Elum. "We must also protect senior water rights
first, while still meeting our economic development goals."
"It's important that we
make informed and well thought-out decisions," said Warnick, R-Moses
Lake. "We really need to hear from the public on this issue because it
affects the future for all of us."
The open houses are being
held in two locations in Kittitas County:
Monday, March 24, 6-9 p.m.
Walter Strom Middle School, 2694 SR 903, Cle Elum
Tuesday, March 25, 6-9
p.m.
Hal Holmes Community Center, 209 N. Ruby St., Ellensburg
Hinkle and Warnick plan to
attend both meetings, and said they look forward to discussing the issue
with constituents.
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For more information, contact:
Sarah Lamb, Public Information
Officer - (360) 786-7720
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