Shoreline debates limits on injection wells, PFAS protections in Deer Creek wellhead buffer

Shoreline staff presented proposed updates to the city’s drainage code on Monday that would create a special drainage area for the Deer Creek Wellhead Protection buffer, prohibit deep underground injection control wells in that buffer, and require commercial projects using UICs (underground injection control systems) to adopt specialized pretreatment and maintenance plans designed to capture PFAS.

Zach Richardson, the city’s surface water engineer, said the proposal is one part of a two‑track update that also prepares for new general facility charges (GFCs) the city intends to implement in 2027. "We are recognizing the Deer Creek Wellhead Protection buffer area as a special drainage area," Richardson said, and staff proposed notification to Olympic View Water and Sewer District for development proposals within the buffer.

Olympic View General Manager Bob Danson told council the district considers the Deer Creek wellhead to meet the definition of a critical aquifer recharge area (CARA) and urged the city to adopt durable protections. "Infiltration does not remove contaminants. It transfers them to the subsurface where they enter the drinking water aquifer," Danson said, arguing that CARA designation brings early developer notice, land‑use restrictions, and operational rules the district sees as necessary to protect a drinking water source.

City staff described a narrower approach: prohibit deep injection wells in the buffer (which can perforate confining layers) while keeping shallower infiltration tools available with additional safeguards. Staff emphasized that surface‑water and groundwater protections must be balanced, noting surface water discharges flow to local lakes where people swim and fish. Richardson said the city would require commercial UICs to include pretreatment media (for example activated carbon or cation exchange) and routine removal of that media so PFAS is physically exported from the site rather than simply stored in place.

Staff said the mapped buffer intersects about 45 parcels in Shoreline — roughly 42 residential and three commercial. Councilmembers worried about timing and permitting impacts on redevelopment, including middle‑housing projects that share drainage facilities and could trigger UIC rules. Councilmember Scully pressed staff on how Shoreline’s protections compare with those adopted by the neighboring city of Edmonds; staff said Edmonds has CARA zones and that the protections requested by Olympic View are more extensive than Edmonds’ Zone 3 buffer, but councilmembers asked staff to seek parity across the border where feasible.

Several councilmembers urged stronger or clearer language to reassure the district that or make protections durable. Councilmember Adematsu proposed adding a list of higher‑risk land uses (gas stations, car washes, crumb‑rubber surfaces, hazardous material storage) for special scrutiny or prohibition; staff said some of those uses are already regulated but agreed to return with proposed amendments and citations.

No final action was taken Monday. Staff said the city is scheduled to take action on the ordinance at its April 27 meeting and will return with clarifying language, proposed amendments to address higher‑risk uses, and analysis of whether certain prohibitions should be placed in the land‑use code (Chapter 20) rather than the drainage chapter (Chapter 13).

What’s next: Staff to return April 27 with a second draft addressing council questions, potential land‑use code changes needed for durable prohibitions, proposed pretreatment standards and enforcement mechanisms, and a plan for notifications to Olympic View Water & Sewer District.