Water Resources Committee Meeting,

Monday April 14, 2025, from 6 -7:30 pm, at the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center, 370 Brien Dr. SE, Bainbridge Island.

Please join us for the 3^rd Bainbridge Conservation Coalition (BCC) Citizen Water Resource Committee (WRC) Meeting. We will continue the conversation, everyone is welcome.

•  Quick review of BI Geology and Sole Source Aquifer designation for newcomers.
• Continue discussion on the Bainbridge Island GWMP and Groundwater Model Update.
• Why an all Island GWMP is necessary to meet Comp Plan requirements to sustainably manage growth and provide for adequate quantity and quality of water for the future.
• Comp Plan Utilities and Water Resource Element updates.
• How a Citizen WRC can help educate the community and facilitate public input to make a difference.
• Questions and group input/discussion on next steps.

Currently The City of Bainbridge Island (COBI) is updating its Comprehensive Plan, as required by the Washington Growth Management Act (GMA).  As part of that process, the City issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in July 2024, with Growth Alternatives, which has been under review by the City’s Planning Commission (PC) since January.

The DEIS fails to recognize the significance of our status as an EPA-certified Sole Source Aquifer (SSA), completely reliant on aquifer protection and recharge for our water supply.

Based on Best Available Science, what is the carrying capacity of the Island?  Ahead of a completed peer reviewed GWMP, COBI has labeled as “preferred” accelerated growth Alternatives for the Comp Plan Update which exceed the GMA population allocation of 4,524 for the next 20-year planning horizon to more than 11,000.

The PC has put forth preliminary expanded boundaries and up-zoning for portions of the Winslow Subarea.  How will the increased demands for water with proposed accelerated growth impact BI aquifers and streams? With the existing population there are documented concerns with deep aquifer declines, along with stream and surface water declines and degradation.

Current Island zoning buildout can accommodate ~31,000 people, with a current population of ~25,000. Is this adequate to manage the GMA growth allocation of 4,524 (18% increase in population) for the next 20-year planning horizon?  Why is COBI aggressively up-zoning beyond growth allocation #s? What are the costs and who pays for new infrastructure demands associated with up-zoning the Island for the proposed 44% (11,000+) increase in population? Does COBI’s current process meet all the requirements outlined by the GMA for balanced sustainable growth on an SSA Island?

The WRC is a community voice for protecting our limited Island water resources.

Here are maps from the April 10, 2025, PC Agenda showing the existing Winslow Subarea boundary (red dashed line) and the PC proposed expansion of Winslow (blue), with proposed up-zoning and increased building heights.