To date, under the current wellhead protection project, the City has: a) delineated, using best available science, its source water protection areas; b) developed a wellhead protection report that serves as the technical document in developing a Wellhead Protection Ordinance; c) developed a water supply contingency plan; d) developed a water supply spill response plan; e) inventoried current and potential contaminant sites; and f) adopted the final Wellhead Protection Ordinance. Throughout this process, the City administered an aggressive public outreach and involvement campaign. (This is a pdf document.)

Activities

1992 - State Dept. of Health required a Wellhead Protection Plan (WHP) as part of approving the City of Redmond's 6-year water plan.

1993 - City pursued Centennial Clean Water Fund grant from Washington State Dept. of Ecology to develop a Wellhead Protection Plan.

1996-2002  - City runs an aggressive public outreach and involvement campaign aimed at educating and soliciting feedback on the process and draft ordinance development.

1997 - City completes Wellhead Protection Plan:

Plan has appropriate-sized zones for protection based on travel time within the aquifer: 6 month, 1 year, 5 year, and 10 year.

Scientific Approach - used field surveying and sampling and a hydrogeologic computer model to determine zones using best available science.

Focuses interest for aquifer protection to areas up-gradient of City wells and near cones of depression.

Model revealed that the Sammamish River and Lake Sammamish are no longer considered the source of water for the aquifer.

Plan used as technical document in developing the Wellhead Protection Ordinance.

1999 - Council approves a $120,000 consultant contract for ordinance development.

2000 - Staff begins to develop an ordinance that incorporates a combination of regulations and prohibitions of contaminant sources in critical aquifer recharge areas

2002 - City produces first public draft of a comprehensive Wellhead Protection Ordinance.

2003 - City Council adopts Wellhead Wellhead Protection Ordinance No. 2180 (RMC 13.07).

2004 - City requires submittal of Hazardous Materials Questionnaire.  

2006 - City begins facility inspections and technical assistance visits.

2007 - Hazardous Materials Questionnaire is available online.  Groundwater monitoring program begins.

Wellhead Protection Ordinance Updates

It's been a long process from the first discussions with businesses and commercial customers to now, but the City of Redmond Natural Resources Division along with businesses and community support developed Redmond's comprehensive Wellhead Protection Ordinance, which was adopted in October of 2003.  The ordinance is intended to ensure that hazardous materials are used, stored, recycled, and disposed of in a manner that prevents their introduction or seepage into soil, surface water or groundwater. Here are some specific protections that are in the ordinance:

• Requirements that all residents, businesses, and facilities utilize, handle, store and dispose of hazardous materials safely and in such a manner to prevent unauthorized release to the environment.
• Restrictions on new businesses within the areas closest to the city's drinking water wells.
• Requirements that businesses submit inventories of hazardous materials on their premises
• Requirements that some businesses prepare a Hazardous Materials Management Plan detailing how hazardous materials will be handled, stored, used and disposed
• Requirements that some businesses comply with Best Management Practices to ensure safe storage, handling, treatment, use, productions, or disposal of hazardous materials

For the past 50 years, Redmond wells have provided an excellent, high quality and independent water supply that has been responsible for some of the lowest water rates on the eastside. Right now, the five existing wells provide more than 40% of Redmond's water. In order to protect the areas surrounding our wells, the city relied heavily on the good will and stewardship of its residents, commercial customers and the dedicated efforts of the Redmond water utility crews. The Wellhead Protection Ordinance now gives us a stronger tool to help ensure that our groundwater resource is protected for years to come.

The City of Redmond has grown and doubled the number of its customers in the past 10 years - making care of its precious and limited water supplies all that much more important.

All of us in Redmond will be affected by this ordinance. This effort won't work without our residents also actively working to protect our drinking water supply.

• During the winter of 2000-2001, over 200 businesses were visited.  Over 150 facilities were visited during 2006 by the King County Local Hazardous Waste Management Program and City Wellhead Protection Program representatives. They provided information on hazard storage and offered matching grant funding to assist companies with improved hazardous waste storage. This program is still available for our commercial customers. Please call 206-263-3063 for Envirostars or 206-263-3976 for a free consultation at your business.  

We're asking residents to adopt more natural garden and landscape practices and the city has provided classes, discounts, landscape audits, incentives and information for several years in advance of the ordinance. This is important because a study in King County found that over 23 household chemicals were found in local streams, rivers and lakes - the chemicals identified were commonly found in the run off from residential gardens and lawns.

Annually, Redmond business owners will be asked to complete a Hazardous Materials Questionnaire for the City of Redmond. This questionnaire asks businesses to take inventory of any hazardous materials that they use or store on site. The City's Wellhead Protection Program staff will compile the results and use the data to determine how best to safeguard the City's vulnerable drinking water supply from contamination by hazardous materials.

All businesses, facilities, public agencies, and non-profit organizations located within Redmond's Critical Aquifer Recharge Area (Wellhead Protection Zones 1, 2 and 3) will be required to complete the brief questionnaire. Questionnaire recipients must return the completed form to the City within 30 days of receipt.