Islanders may want to keep a closer tab on their taps.
A city-commissioned study indicates that the island’s finite
water supply is declining in some areas.
The island’s deepest groundwater supplier, the Fletcher Bay
aquifer, showed some of study’s steepest declines, especially in
the Eagledale and Sands Road areas. Linked in recent years to
high-capacity wells, the aquifer meets about 30 percent of the
growing population’s water needs. Another large portion of the
island’s water supply is generated by several small wells linked to
a sea level aquifer, which in recent years has had instances of
saltwater intrusion due to over-pumping.
Bainbridge’s water supply has become a top concern for
residents, dominating community priority surveys and City Council
campaigns. Despite widespread public interest, the island has
lacked a comprehensive analysis of whether it can satisfy its
increasing thirst.
“There’s a lot of concern on the part of Bainbridge citizens
about the state of their aquifers and what they can do about it,”
said Joseph Lubischer, an engineer who helped lead the study for
Bainbridge-based Aspect Consulting.
While the study’s limited scope prevents it from offering
definitive answers, it does indicate that the concerns were
well-founded.
“The last 20 years have seen some big, deep wells go in,”
Lubischer said. “So, we’ve seen some changes recently, and we have
a limited amount (of water).”
Of particular interest is Island Utilities Well 1, which
supplies much of the Eagledale neighborhood on Eagle Harbor’s south
shore. The high-capacity well registered the study’s steepest drop,
declining from about 40 feet in 1988 to 25 feet last year.
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