Protecting water resources should be a priority

In the Cascades, somewhere close but not too close to Sultan at the end of seven miles of dusty gravel road, lies the source of what sustains most of us in Snohomish County — the deep-water reservoir of Spada Lake.

This area is considered to be one of the rainiest spots in the county, so runoff as well as snowmelt is captured at this gorge. Today, the reservoir provides 75 percent or more of the county's drinking water and about 6 percent of its electricity. The Culmback Dam, which creates Spada Lake, is one of two dams that work together to quench our thirst. A smaller, older, earth-filled dam creates Chaplain Reservoir below Spada Lake. This second reservoir has a more-tightly controlled water flow and is where the water undergoes purification. Water released there for the Sultan River maintains levels for salmon and other fish.

The highly sensitive watershed around these dams receives constant, reviewed management. Recreational activities, while available, are fairly limited and restricted. In fact, the isolation and undisturbed quality are considered a bonus for protecting the water at its source.

However, the same attention to caring for fresh water resources is not uniform throughout the county. Far from that geographic point, in the county's southwest unincorporated area, Picnic Point Creek, Norma Creek and Lynch Creek flow to Puget Sound as they drop 500 feet from the high bluffs to sea level. They are currently encroached on all sides by high-density developments that would bring increased sedimentation, pollutants and runoff flows to destroy the creeks' ability to act as salmon habitat and restorative agents in the water cycle. Their corruption directly impacts the health of Puget Sound and undermines the state's restoration efforts.

Environmentally conscious residents have spoken out about what is happening to these resources, just as people have given voice to their concerns over North Creek, Lake Stickney and the Seven Lakes aquifers.

How we protect the water cycle, keeping it cool and clean, should be a central issue for the planning and development within this county. The housing boom and population explosion are placing tremendous strains on how we care for this precious resource within our region.

The water landscape of this county is at once visible and invisible. Not every stream runs above the surface. The aquifers, which replenish the water tables that feed wells in rural areas, deserve scrutiny and protection. Keeping water cared for only at its mountain source is not nearly enough. We can no longer afford the luxury of doing business as usual, nor can we afford to follow failed historical precedents.

This county can change and it must change how it goes about prioritizing the protection of fresh water and shoreline resources within its boundaries. The new critical-areas regulations are a beginning, but they are just a start.

County leaders must educate the public through their actions and outreach. Homeowners should realize the damage done to water through fertilizers, pesticides and wasteful high-maintenance landscaping. Zonings must be rethought around water corridors. Trees need better preservation everywhere, but especially those few remaining in urban sectors. Retention ponds must receive greater attention so as not to become cesspools that breed mosquitoes and disease.

Citizens, too, must realize that vigilance to water conservation comes with a cost.

All of our actions influence what flows from our taps!