Press Release
Public Health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Water Mitigation and Metering Program

Kittitas County, WA - 01/06/2016 - The Kittitas County Water Banking and Metering program was implemented on December 2, 2015. The program will offer Water Budget Neutral mitigation certificates for customers in the Green and Yellow zones of the Kittitas County Water Bank (KCWB).

Kittitas County will offer mitigation packages in the Green and Yellow zones of the Kittitas County Water Bank. Prior to applying for mitigation through the Kittitas County Water Bank, customers will need to complete an eligibility review to determine which Kittitas County Water Bank zone the parcel is in, how the parcel was created, well construction requirements and which mitigation process the customer will be eligible for. The Kittitas County Water Bank will have four processes for issuing a mitigation certificate depending on eligibility, each having a different processing time:

1. Customers in the KCWB Green Zone eligible for Water Budget Neutral Mitigation will follow the Over- the- Counter Process with a processing time of ten business days.

2. Customers in the KCWB Green Zone that require a Groundwater Permit will follow the application process through Kittitas County, but the review and approval is conducted by Washington State Department of Ecology. The processing time is up to twelve months. Kittitas County is working on streamlining this process to offer over-the-counter service in the future.

3. Customers in the KCWB Yellow Zone eligible for Water Budget Neutral Mitigation will follow the application process through Kittitas County, but the review and approval is conducted by Washington State Department of Ecology. The processing time for is approximately six to nine months.

4. Customers in the KCWB Yellow Zone that require a Groundwater Permit will follow the application process through Kittitas County, but the review and approval is conducted by Washington State Department of Ecology. The processing time is up to twelve months.

Kittitas County is currently working on a public portal for customers to be able to see what type of mitigation they are eligible for. We have completed a large portion of the KCWB Green Zones and are updating the map as we have new data. If you determine that your parcel has not been evaluated yet, please contact the Kittitas County Public Health Department for more information.

To explore this map, please visit the Water Mitigation Suitability Map located: http://gis.co.kittitas.wa.us/watersuitabilitypublic/index.html

Kittitas County urges citizens to be conscious of these processing times as they plan their building projects for the future. All mitigation, metering, recording and Adequate Water Supply Determination applications must be approved prior to application for a building permit.

For more information, please contact the Kittitas County Public Health Department at 509-962-7515.

• Water Mitigation and Metering Program Process Press Release 2016

Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us

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Contact: Erin Moore, Environmental Health Specialist, 509-962-7515

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