Drinking Water

The Drinking Water program works to ensure safe drinking water for all residents of Kittitas County, through inspections, education, and testing.

Wells

If you are developing property and are planning to drill a well on the property, a permit for the well is required by the Department of Ecology. That office is in Yakima (509) 575-2490. A list of well drillers is available upon request from the Environmental Health office. Kittitas County Public Health Department monitors a percentage of wells drilled within this county for proper sealing, tagging and decommissioning of water wells. Information about this well delegation program is available from the Environmental Health office.

Adequate Water Supply Determination

All new uses of water must comply with KCC 13.35.027-Permanent Measures. An Adequate Water Supply Determination is required of all persons who are:

1. applying for a building permit with either:
   1. a proposed new structure which will have potable water or
   2. a proposed change in the number of dwelling units for any existing structures (such as making a single-family structure into a duplex); or
   3. a replacement or rebuild of a building with potable water; or
   4. changes to a pre-existing water system that adds fixtures; or
2. making applications for land uses that require water, including but not limited to, long plats, short plats, binding site plans, large lot subdivisions, or conditional uses. However, an adequate water supply determination is not required for long plats, short plats, binding site plans and/or large lot subdivisions when applications for such are being submitted by a government or quasi-government agency or by another party when the property being utilized to create new parcels as part of the long plat, short plat, binding site plan or large lot subdivision is included in a purchase contract between the party and a government or quasi-government agency and the new parcels will not require water. Evidence that the new parcels will not require water may be provided in the form of a conservation easement, plat notes which do not allow development which requires water, or another form satisfactory to the county health officer and planning official that water will not be required for the resulting land use.

An Adequate Water Supply Determination shall not be required for building permits:

1. On lots created through formal platting and utilizing an approved Group A water system operated within an incorporated areas or Master Planned Resort of Kittitas County; or
2. On lots that do not require a change in the water system; or
3. On structures which will not have potable water plumbing.

Public Water Systems

Public "group B" well systems provide water to developments with three to 14 homesites. An inspection for siting purposes is required for these systems prior to drilling. Workbooks and laboratory information can be obtained from the Environmental Health office. Kittitas County Environmental Health Department reviews and approves Group B water systems serving from three connections (houses) to nine connections. Proposed Group B water systems to serve ten to fourteen connections are reviewed and approved by the Washington State Department of Health.

For the Group B workbook and appendices go to the Washington State Department of Health website and search by publication number.

• Group B Water System Design Guidelines, #331-467
• Group B Design Workbook, #331-468

A complete Group B Water System Packet containing all forms, Group B workbook, and Group B Water System Guidelines is also available for $8.00 at the Kittitas County Public Health Department, 507 N Nanum St, Suite 102, Ellensburg.

Department of Health Fees will apply for Group B Water review and approval.

Water Quality Testing

Resource materials and information for private water systems are available for questions concerning how to provide and maintain a safe water supply. Bacteriological testing of water well samples is available through the Environmental Health office in partnership with LabTest in Yakima and Cascade Analytical in Union Gap. These labs are state approved for water analysis.

Disinfection of Private Wells

1. Remove the well cap from the top of the well casing. If your well doesn’t have a well cap but does have a well seal, there should be a vent or an access hole in the top of the seal that may be used for access.
2. Pour one gallon of bleach into the well. Connect a hose to a faucet near the well.
3. Turn on the faucet. Water pumped from the well and returned will mix the chlorine bleach with the well water.
4. Allow water to run this way for 30 minutes, taking the end of the hose and washing the inside of the casing. If using the access hole, do the best you can do to direct the water flow to the inside surface of the casing.
5. After 30 minutes, shut off the water, disconnect the hose and replace the access plug, the sanitary seal, or the well weather cap
6. Inside the house, open each faucet, (hot and cold) and allow the water to run until the smell of chlorine (bleach) can be detected. This removes the unchlorinated water and replaces it with chlorinated water.
7. Allow the faucets and water to remain undisturbed for at least 24 hours.
8. 1. After 24 hours, turn on an outside faucet and allow the water to flow until the smell of the chlorine cannot be detected. The use of an outside faucet is important as the flow of water through the house plumbing can overload the septic tank and drainfield.
9. Inside the house, open all the hot and cold faucets until the smell of chlorine cannot be detected.
10. When all the chlorinated water is removed from the well (by running the outside faucet) and from the household plumbing (running each inside faucet) a water sample may be brought into the health department for testing to ensure there is no contamination remaining in the system.

Forms

Wells

• Individual Well Site Review
• Unified Site Plan
• Online Well Site Inspection Request (Notice of Intent to Drill)

Water Systems

Water Adequacy Determination (water availability) for Building Permits

Resources & Links

• Well driller contact list
• Washington State Department of Health Drinking Water
• WA State Legislative Public Water Supplies (Group A)
• WA State Legislative Public Water Supplies (Group B)