East North Bend Water Update

wHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?

On December 20, 2022, Sallal Water Association lifted its temporary water moratorium after correcting a mechanical error from their water meter that led Sallal to overestimate water use. With these corrections, Sallal states, via a memo prepared by their consultant Gray & Osborne, Inc., that they have limited additional water capacity to serve new and additional customers. The memo also states that “Since water use can vary from year to year, due to changes in weather patterns, consumer behavior, and DSL [distribution system leakage], we would recommend that Sallal be cautious with the allocation of the remaining water connections.” Given this analysis, the City remains concerned about how much additional capacity is available and whether that will support the community’s needs now and into the future.

The City has retained Terra Property Analytics, LLC (Terra) to continue work to assess the value of Sallal Water Association. As a certified third-party appraiser, Terra is working now to estimate the fair, objective market value of the private, member-owned co-op assets that are available and known to the City.

While the City had hoped to host an open house at the end of this year, we want to share the most up-to-date information with all of you and are waiting on a few more details from the appraiser. We look forward to hosting an open house in early 2023 to share the latest information, next steps, and offer opportunities to answer questions in person.

Moving forward, the City will continue to coordinate with Sallal on the options detailed below. We will post regular updates to this website and other outlets as soon as more information becomes available.

North Bend and Sallal Water Association Water System Options

The illustrations below show the City of North Bend and Sallal Water Association's current water supply systems, and two different options for a future system - a water supply agreement and system consolidation. If a water supply agreement were executed, the City would sell Sallal water for their homes and businesses and Sallal would sell the City mitigation water. If consolidation were to occur, the City would purchase Sallal and own and operate both systems.

Note: Sallal Water Association was in an emergency moratorium from June 21, 2022 through December 20, 2022.

key reasons to consolidate the two water systems

The City recommends consolidation of the two water systems for the following reasons:

Better for the environment: The addition of a Department of Ecology-approved mitigation water source at Rattlesnake Lake helps the City better meet our environmental and legal commitment to the health of the Snoqualmie River, particularly as temperatures fluctuate due to climate change.
More reliable system: The City’s water system has shown itself to be more reliable than Sallal’s system, ensuring that customers have safe and accessible water when they need it.
Guaranteed availability: Property owners, inside and outside City limits, who want to develop their properties will have water available to develop.
Planning for the future: In 1990, the State adopted the Growth Management Act (GMA)*. All cities in King County, including North Bend, are required to comply with the GMA. Without new water supply, potential new businesses (restaurants, grocery stores, and other amenities) and multi-family residences will not have the water supply they need, and the requirements of the GMA will not be met.

* The Growth Management Act (GMA) is a series of state statutes, first adopted in 1990, that requires fast-growing cities and counties to develop a comprehensive plan every 10 years to manage their population growth. The comprehensive plan creates growth management areas within a City for concentrated urban growth.