Thurston County has secured a $2. 4 million grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology to purchase water rights from the TransAlta Water Bank. The county will acquire approximately 800 acre-feet of water — equal to about 261 million gallons — and permanently dedicate it back to the Lower Skookumchuck and Chehalis rivers.
One acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons, roughly the annual water use of two to three average households. The purchase is designed to offset the water impact of new permit-exempt wells, which homeowners and small developments can drill without a standard state water permit.
Thurston County is one of the fastest-growing areas in Washington State. As new homes are built, permit-exempt wells draw water from the same underground sources that feed local rivers. This grant is intended to balance that impact by returning water to two rivers that flow through the region.
In a separate environmental action, Thurston County and the Thurston Conservation District also received a $489,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce to support salmon recovery planning in South Puget Sound.