Water rights dry up as a thirsty town searches for help

The Associated Press
The News Tribune

9/28/04

ROSLYN, Kittitas County - The small town of Roslyn on the Eastern slope of the Cascades has hired a consultant to research new water rights after the town's irrigation district shut off the spigot this summer.

Roslyn, which was built in 1886 as a mining town, is a junior water rights holder in the Roza Irrigation District. During the dry summer months, residents were forced to conserve water when the district shut off the domestic water supply for the first time.

In years past the district had threatened to reduce the amount of water the city received, but never made good on those threats. This was the first time Roslyn was ever cut off from its domestic water supply, said Mayor Jeri Porter.

City founders initially took water from Smith Creek, then moved its water source northwest of town to Comerie Creek when it established its water rights in 1908. But those water rights were established much later than other water users in the district, making the town a junior water rights holder.

"We have approached Roza for help and have hired an attorney to go to court to fix the problem," Porter said. "This whole thing has been terribly frustrating. How can a town that has been there for 100 years get its water cut off?"

The city hired a private consultant Sept. 15 to scour the region for new water rights, at a cost of between $25,000 and $40,000.

Porter said the consultant, Clay Landry of West Water Research, will be "worth every penny" if he finds the town an assured water source.

Landry said his company has had success in the past helping other towns find the water rights they need. How long the search will take is unknown, he said.

"It could happen in a day, or at the end of 12 months we might have a handle on what is available," he said.

There is a county moratorium on well drilling, which means the town can't drill a well for city water. If adequate water rights can be found for Roslyn to purchase, the town must find a way to pay for it.

Porter said she does not want to levy a tax against the people of Roslyn to pay for it. Meanwhile, town officials have been talking with state officials and legislators to see if financing can be found.

"We're down to D-Day," Porter said. "We need it to survive."