This past spring I spoke with a friend of mine who decided to open an Irish Pub. He described to me what sounded like a dream turned nightmare; horrible and quite unbelievable. Here is a bit of Danny’s story:
By Caoimhe Dunn – Senior Editor - MyAroundTown.com
He found the perfect location, a restaurant, complete with kitchen, dining room and full bar. Danny was excited because there in one spot was everything he would need to open a brilliant pub. Throughout the purchase process Danny made reference to the licenses associated with the location and was under the impression they were included. After he purchased said restaurant he found that indeed the beer and wine license were included in the purchase price, however the liqueur license was not!
At this point Danny had two options: pay the outrageous price the previous owner was asking for the license, which he could not afford, or pay the outrageous price the state wanted to be included in the lottery that controls the issuance of liqueur licenses, and pray that he would win. Now I don’t know about you, but whoever heard of having an Irish pub without a liqueur license.
You may be asking yourself, “What does any of this have to do with water in Upper Kittitas County?” Well, like my friend Danny many in the Upper Kittitas area have dreams, dreams of building their own home on their own land, and they are watching their dreams slowly turn to nightmares.
The Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) has placed a moratorium on the issuance of water rights to citizens in Upper Kittitas County. According to the DOE, when there is a shortage of water in the Yakima Basin this has an impact on the flow of the Yakima, which then forces the DOE to adopt emergency rules. This occurs when there is a presumption of continuity between ground water and surface water and their impact on said flow.
When I asked about scientific proof that there is a shortage of water in the Yakima Basin I was directed to another office, as that was part of the situation that “was too technical”. I then rang the second office and received a “no comment”. According to a source who attended the last hearing, the DOE is not able to support their claims because the studies have not yet been started.
As a newcomer to Upper Kittitas County, recently married into a long time Cle Elum family, with land on Westside Road, I am perplexed because we are unable to build our dream home on our land that has been in the family for generations. This caused me to ask Mark Shuppe at the DOE if there is any hope that we will ever be able to develop our land. With hope in his voice and excitement about the possibilities Mr. Shuppe explained to me that there is INDEED HOPE, all you have to do is pay $10,000 to Suncadia and then you can have all the water you need. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; pay $10,000 to use our water, on our land that has been ours for decades. This is the great fix for our water issues? I was immediately brought back to my mate Danny and his liqueur license issues. I asked Mr. Shuppe if he would agree that this was a good analogy for what is happening here in Upper Kittitas County he agreed and then said, “We have a saying about living out in the arid west, ‘Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting’”.
Now I am not sure that Mr. Shuppe was really saying the DOE is looking for a fight, however I am inclined to challenge those of you who are in need of water rights to stand up and say something so that it is not just those with deep pockets who are able to see their dreams come true.
The DOE has extended the amount of time they are giving for individuals to respond to the proposed ruling. The comment period will end 25 August 2010. The following link will take you to the correct location to respond either by mail or by email. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/cro/kittitas_wp.html
If we are not willing to stand up for our rights as landowners we cannot stand by and complain. Additionally, if we do not make an appeal now, what will our children have in the future when they strive to see their dreams come true? Danny had no opportunity to change the laws about his liqueur license since they had been in force for years.
By the way, it has now been two full years and Danny still has no license, and in fact was recently told that as of July 2010 the state is not issuing anymore licenses in the town where his pub is located. Thus his only option is to pay a ridiculous amount of money to anyone willing to sell an already issued license! Sound familiar?
By Caoimhe Dunn – Senior Editor - MyAroundTown.com
water water water. without it, it’s tough out here in cle elum . you know i,ve heard of folks wells going dry but not because lack of water mostly after the quake or a really really dry year ,somehow we need to prepare for those years when the drought is on and learn to conserve, save rainwater say from our gutters or roof,water our lawn with this water somehow have storage for water if we all saved a little we could make a huge impact ,also we could learn to use low volume irrigation sprinkler heads. most of us use way more water than needed on our lawn. there are good ideas we should all put our heads together and make a plan. common sense ideas Got one?
I would also like to know how the $10,000 fee they are asking for is spent. If there really is a dire shortage of water that is impacting the local environment, how will any amount of money change that situation? I would urge residents to contact their state and federal representatives. Any chance of getting that contact information posted somewhere here? Thanks for the great article.
You are right on…the rich can have all the water they want – and the rest are being held hostage on their own land by DOE. DOE is a “department” not the legislature; yet they are imposing their whims on us victims. Just like you said…without ANY scientific evidence to support their greed riddled charades! Geeze; it’s enough to drive anyone to drink whiskey.
Rhoda,
Thank you for your comment. I think there are a lot of people who if they really realised the power they could have by simply refusing to be quiet about this issue we might see a different approach being taken by DOE. I think very few people think about the fact that the DOE really are NOT a governing body, as u suggested, it is their job to simply make suggestions to those who are governing. However, they have been able to make policy and enforce those policies because most people won’t stand up and say “no, this is NOT alright for you to do to us, and we won’t stand for it!!” I understand about being driven to whiskey…I am Irish!! Have a great day!
Great stuff Caoimhe.This type of conversation on the water issues in Upper County and a place to make it easily accessible to the public is long overdue. Several months ago MyAroundTown.com offered both sides of the issue a public and interactive platform to provide information. I hope it’s not too late to discover what would truly serve the beautiful land that makes up Upper County and preserve the freedom of choice for the people who live here.
We will again offer those interested in having an impact on the future of Upper County a place to post their information and comments. This offer is open to both sides of the issue and will be filed under the “Featured Posts” section as “Water Wars”.
Posted by Art Colts – Publisher – MyAroundTown.com