| In April, the Okanogan County Board of County Commissioners adopted Ordinance 2019-11 which prevents many subdivisions in our watershed for up to two years while the county studies issues associated with providing legally available water under the Methow Instream Flow Rule.
Despite its problematic exceptions, the ordinance is a good first step towards resolving problems with water and growth in the Methow. Unfortunately, the ordinance is set to expire this Thursday, June 18th. To date, the BOCC has not discussed the matter in open public session.
Please call or email the Board of County Commissioners and request that they extend the ordinance and remove the exemptions to make it comply with current laws. For more background on this issue, please read our comment letter to the county.
509-422-7106
Lalena Jones, Clerk of the Board, ljohns(at)co.okanogan.wa.us
Chris Branch, cbranch(at)co.okanogan.wa.us
Andy Hover, andy.hover(at)co.okanogan.wa.us
Jim DeTro, jdetro(at)co.okanogan.wa.us
Slowing the pace of residential development now will allow the County and other interested parties, including Tribes, time to obtain and analyze information, identify barriers to achieving a sustainable vision for growth, and develop lasting solutions that protect the Methow Valley’s future water supply and direct growth in ways consistent with the community’s desires.
MVCC has been sounding the alarm for many years about the disconnect between the laws governing water use and decisions made about land use. MVCC’s appeal of the 2014 Comprehensive Plan was based largely on the problem of unplanned development in our valley outpacing future water supplies, and the problem has only grown, and is set to get worse, while the Comp Plan remains unchanged. The Methow Valley News recently reported that realtors are seeing an “urban flight” to the Methow after the global pandemic.
Recent overwhelming feedback from valley residents implores us to envision a future where limited water supplies are carefully managed to ensure there’s enough in the right places to support fish and wildlife, small farms and open spaces.
The Methow Valley Citizens Council has been, and remains, ready and willing to engage in productive discussions with all interested parties. Our priority is to ensure that the values we all cherish are protected for many generations. |
