| Date of Release: May 14, 2008 |
Released By: Cathie Butler, Communications Manager
phone: 360-753-8361
email |
City of Olympia and Nisqually Indian Tribe Announce Historic Regional Water Source Partnership
Agreement Also Creates New Stewardship Coalition to Benefit Nisqually Watershed
Informational Flyer (pdf file)
OLYMPIA, WA. The City of Olympia and the Nisqually Indian Tribe today held a joint signing ceremony at the City of Olympia’s McAllister Springs water source to announce a historic partnership that involves a new regional water source known as the McAllister Wellfield.
The new regional water source partnership between the City of Olympia and the Nisqually Tribe is believed to be the first of its kind between a municipality and an Indian tribe.
The Olympia City Council on Tuesday, May 13, authorized the Mayor to sign a Memorandum of
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Olympia Mayor Doug Mah and Nisqually Chairman Cynthia Iyall
sign the historic agreement. |
Agreement (MOA) that involves the joint development of the McAllister Wellfield, including mitigation of potentially impacted water bodies. The MOA also provides for the creation of a Stewardship Coalition to benefit the Nisqually Watershed. The Nisqually Tribe approved the MOA on February 28, 2008. A proposed transfer of water rights to the wellfield still requires Department of Ecology approval. The City and the Tribe hope to be operating the McAllister Wellfield by 2012.
“The signing of this agreement is a historic moment for both the Tribe and the City,” said Olympia Mayor Doug Mah. “With today’s action, we begin the mutual journey of providing a safe and sustainable water source for both of our growing communities. The City sincerely thanks Nisqually Chairman Iyall and the Tribal Council for their leadership in Nisqually Watershed management and their collaboration on this historic agreement.”
The City of Olympia’s primary source of water since the 1940s, McAllister Springs is located at the headwaters of McAllister Creek in northeastern Thurston County. Although the springs produce high-quality water, the location is vulnerable to potential contamination. The Nisqually Indian Tribe currently relies on shallow, low-producing wells next to the Nisqually River as its main source of water. Because of the source vulnerability and supply limitations, both the City of Olympia and the Nisqually Tribe have been looking for options to develop and secure a more sustainable source of water.
With this agreement, the City and the Tribe will move their potable water sources to a location known as the McAllister Wellfield. The wellfield taps a large aquifer with very high-quality water, and it will provide a more reliable, protected and long-term sustainable source of water for both the City of Olympia and the growing Nisqually Tribe community.
“The City of Olympia has long been a great steward of the environment, and this agreement is further testament to the City’s thoughtful water management and conservation efforts,” said Cynthia Iyall, Nisqually Tribe Chairman. “This partnership with the City strengthens our commitment to protecting the Nisqually Watershed, the lifeline of our Tribe. Our restoration efforts – including investments in our salmon recovery and enhancement program, our shellfish program and our environmental management program as well as our Tribe members’ volunteer service – have helped make the Nisqually River one of the cleanest and wildest rivers in the country.”
Today’s historic announcement also includes the creation of a Stewardship Coalition to strengthen the sustainability and resource stewardship of the water bodies throughout the Nisqually Watershed region. Goals of the Coalition will include water conservation, aquifer protection, monitoring of mitigation and funding of stewardship projects. The Coalition is intended to be a regional organization that will include other local water purveyors and organizations. Both the City and the Tribe believe the Coalition will become a model for water stewardship.
The McAllister Wellfield site is located 0.8 miles southeast of McAllister Springs, and less than one mile to the Nisqually Indian Reservation. Olympia acquired the 20-acre wellfield property in the mid-1990s, along with a protection area that includes 100 acres of development rights surrounding the wellfield site. This agreement has the potential to increase the volume of water available to the City and the Tribe by up to 10 million gallons of water per day. The City and the Tribe will each develop their own water pumping and distribution systems from the wellfield site.
Reducing the current pumping at McAllister Springs and moving to the new source at McAllister Wellfield will help restore higher water flows to McAllister Creek. Known by the Nisqually Tribe as Medicine Creek, McAllister Creek is not only the site of the signing of the Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854, but also is the site of some of the Tribe’s most important ancestral villages and is traditionally a sacred place for the Nisqually. Through the MOA, Olympia and the Tribe also agree to ensure a perpetual state of conservation for McAllister Springs and nearby Abbott Springs.
Under the MOA, the Tribe will be responsible for mitigation of all potential impacts to the Nisqually River, including habitat improvements.
For many years, the Nisqually Tribe has played a crucial role in regional water planning and watershed protection, including a lead role in the development and implementation of the Nisqually Watershed Management Plan. Through this watershed planning process, Olympia and the Nisqually Tribe have coordinated on issues related to McAllister Wellfield. The cities of Lacey and Yelm have also been active participants in the regional water discussions.
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