Mediator will seek solution on Lower Valley wells

YAKIMA, Wash. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has hired a local mediator to try and find "areas of common ground" for resolving the Yakima Valley's groundwater contamination problem.

The Dispute Resolution Center of Yakima and Kittitas Counties has agreed to contract with the EPA to conduct a "situation assessment," which is a series of interviews with different and often opposing interest groups affected by the groundwater problem.

In a recent letter to Yakima County Commissioners, Thomas Eaton, director of EPA's Washington operations office in Seattle, said the information will be given "to all the participants for their consideration in taking future steps to address the problem."

Eaton also said the effort could be useful to the county's recently announced plan to be the lead agency for a newly created Groundwater Management Area, a state-approved vehicle for managing the groundwater in order to stop contamination.

"I was pleased to see the county has recently expressed interest in becoming the lead agency for a Groundwater Management Area for the lower Yakima Valley," he said.

He said the assessment could help provide guidelines for the decision-making body of a groundwater management area and could create a way to involve the Yakama Nation. Many private wells on reservation lands are contaminated. In 2008, the tribe banned new and expanding dairies and feedlots.

Matt Fairbank, executive director of the Dispute Resolution Center, will conduct the assessment.

Commissioner Mike Leita said the commission has decided it needs to take a leadership role in resolving Yakima Valley water problems and not leave it to the federal government.

"The situation with our groundwater is obviously not acceptable, and we need to play a stronger role," Leita said. "We were of a mindset that we needed to attempt to take the lead through a groundwater management area. The situation assessment is a good first step."

EPA has been working with the county and other state agencies over the past year to address the problems outlined in an October 2008 investigative series published by the Yakima Herald-Republic.

The stories documented the lack of government attention to a persistent groundwater quality problem affecting thousands of low-income, mostly Latino residents who depend on private wells.

EPA has two other groundwater projects in the Lower Valley. One is a well-testing program designed to identify the sources of the contamination.

The other is a grant aimed at identifying and preventing disproportionate environmental health effects on minorities.

* Leah Beth Ward can be reached at 509-577-7626 or lward@yakimaherald.com.