Lacey staff brief planning commission: reclaimed water set aside for water-rights mitigation; no new capital projects recommended

Lacey — City of Lacey public works staff and consultants told the Planning Commission on April 9 that most of the city’s reclaimed water is already committed to groundwater recharge required under water‑rights mitigation, and that the city is not recommending new capital investments now to expand reclaimed‑water delivery for irrigation or industrial customers.

The briefing, presented by Gagan Brar of Public Works and consulting engineers from Kurlo/Carlow Engineers, summarized existing facilities and the city’s current allotment from the regional reclaimed‑water system. “The city of Lacey’s allotment is 0.68 MGD,” the presentation said, referring to the city’s current share of reclaimed water from the regional plant. Staff described the Woodland Creek Groundwater Recharge Facility — a long‑running infiltration site the city operates jointly with Olympia — as the primary use for that allotment.

Why it matters: Lacey must meet mitigation conditions tied to the Department of Ecology’s approvals for groundwater pumping. Staff said the reclaimed flows Lacey receives are being used to replace groundwater the city pumps so that surface streams and other users are not harmed. Because those mitigation obligations grow as…