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Department of Community Development
Jefferson County
Development Review Division
621 Sheridan Street
Attn: S. Hoskins
Port Townsend, W A 98368
RECEIVED
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JHfERSON ~OUN1Y Den
Re: Comment Letter On Type III Land Use Application
MLA05-00276
Applicant - PUD#1 of Jefferson County
This letter is to comment on the above-referenced application. I am a property owner on
Marrowstone Island residing at 7663 Flagler Road, Marrowstone Island. I am familiar with the
proposed installation by the PUD of water mains and related improvements to provide a public
drinking water supply to Marrowstone.
As a Marrowstone property owner, I am also very familiar with the determination by EP A
Region 10 that Marrowstone's fresh water aquifer system has elevated chloride levels and is
experiencing significant seawater intrusion. EP A attributes these problems to the Island's
increasing population which is a situation unlikely to do anything but worsen. EP A has also
concluded that there is no feasible alternative source of drinking water to replace the aquifer
system, other than the action the PUD is currently taking to bring a safe and reliable public
drinking water supply to the Island residents.
I would ask the Development Review Division to consider the critical nature of this project and
the need to prevent a serious and significant threat to the public health of Marrowstone residents,
98% of which rely on the existing aquifer for drinking water. This application and project have
already experienced delay arising from the litigation filed by opponents of the public drinking
water system. As you know, this litigation was found to be entirely without merit and was
dismissed in favor of the PUD.
I would also note that this application is not subject to SEP A review and thus
comments/objections filed by opponents of this application based on subjects within the purview
of SEP A should not be taken into consideration by the Development Review Division in
evaluating the merits of this application. The Division's scope of review is limited to conditional
administrative use provisions and shoreline review under the relevant provisions of Jefferson
County Code and Shoreline Master Program.
Finally, stripped of the surrounding politics, this project is a relatively minor utility installation
of the type that occurs routinely in all areas of the county. Bringing public water to Marrowstone
will neither cause nor prevent further growth or zoning changes of the type that the opponents of
this project fear. It will simply, we hope, resolve the long-standing public health issues faced by
many Marrowstone residents as a result of an insufficient supply of safe drinking water.
50550180.01
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Thank you for your attention to these comments. Please add my name to the list of parties of
record to receive notice of any hearings and to receive a copy of any decision or other mailings
by the Development Review Division.
15
Beth Clark
Mailing address: 1111 Third Avenue, Suite 3400
Seattle, WA 98101
cc: Jefferson County PUD
50550180.01
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