Methow Valley Citizens' Council
Scaling down the Resort
Index to MVCC's campaign to avert a destination resort in the Methow Valley, Washington
You Decide Note: On August 19, The Methow Valley News published a guest opinion by Arrowleaf Construction Manager Terry O'Reilly titled "The Straight Scoop on Arrowleaf Water", which began with the statement, "Recently there have been a number of inaccurate statements made regarding the water consumption proposed for the Arrowleaf Resort project." The article concludes that at buildout, annual domestic consumption at Arrowleaf will be, "roughly equivalent to the irrigation water consumed in one growing season by 9 acres of alfalfa." The Methow Valley News doesn't want the public to know the truth about Arrowleaf, and has refused to print the following letter, which points out the bias in the O'Reilly letter. The News didn't print this or any other comment letters to Mr. O'Reilly's piece leaving questions about whether reporting was biased. What's Fair is Fair - August 31, 1999, letter by Peter Goldman and Mac Shelton (members of Friends of the Methow), in response to Letter to the Editor of the Methow Valley News by Terry O'Reilly (also printed here, see below). In last week’s My Turn column, Arrowleaf construction manager Terry O’Reilly attempts to give us "the straight scoop" about the resort’s projected water consumption. Regrettably, Mr. O’Reilly’s letter muddies, not clarifies, the water issue. Arrowleaf will cause Mazama to explode into a town with more people than Twisp, in the part of the Valley where water is in the shortest supply. Arrowleaf would dramatically increase water consumption, diminishing already low instream flows and taking water from ranchers and farmers hit hard by endangered fish listings. Here are our specific responses to Mr. O’ Reilly’s errors and unjustified assumptions. * Arrowleaf’s Claim: due to the resort’s state of the art wastewater system, the resort will domestically consume only 15.3 acre-feet of domestic water, roughly the same as 9 acres of alfalfa. This is a misleading figure for several reasons. First, Mr. O’Reilly’s figure includes only domestic consumption such as toilets, showers, sinks, etc. He omits the obvious fact that the owners of 650 homes will likely water their grass, trees, and flowers and occasionally wash their cars; this is water that will not be returned to the aquifer via the "state of the art" water system. What is not stated is what percent of domestic summer water consumption is for lawn and flower irrigation. While it is true that Arrowleaf’s "Stewardship Program" promises to "restrict" lawn and ornamental plantings, what assures the public how much water residents will actually be able to use for irrigation? Moreover, who enforces this? Does Arrowleaf really expect us to believe that people will be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for lots and homes and they will be prohibited from watering their flowers? Even Arrowleaf’s consultant, Golder and Associates, assumed that 35 acre-feet of water would be used for domestic lawn irrigation. Second, Mr. O’Reilly’s 15.3 acre-feet number completely ignores official State of Washington standards for domestic water consumption. According to 1993 guidelines promulgated by the State Department of Health, water systems designed to serve Eastern Washington homes must assume a minimum of 1500 gals. a day. Thus, Arrowleaf’s 650 homes combined with its swimming pool, restaurant, stable, and clubhouse would probably consume 1,000,000 gals. a day, or 1122 acre-feet per year. Even assuming that, as an environmentally sensitive resort, Arrowleaf would use only one-third of the Dept. of Health’s 1500 gal. a day guideline, Arrowleaf would STILL use 374 acre-feet per year for domestic purposes; that’s a whole lot more than Arrowleaf’s 15.3 estimate. * Arrowleaf’s claim: annual irrigation (golf and general grounds) will be 171.8 acre-feet, equivalent to only 104 acres of alfalfa. These water estimates are probably wildly optimistic. Water use at the proposed Snoqualmie Ridge golf course in Puget Sound will be 850,000 gallons per day, or 2.6 acre-feet per day. Assuming a 150- day irrigation season, this is over 390 acre-feet for Arrowleaf’s golf course alone. Irrigation requirements for an east side golf course would likely be higher. Now, let’s assume that Arrowleaf’s "state-of-the-art" golf course and general grounds uses even less than the Westside’s Snoqualmie Ridge, say 250,000 gals. a day (the quantity used by Chelan’s 18 hole golf course). That still would amount to 130 acre-feet per year. Combine that figure with the domestic consumption figures mentioned above and it starts adding up pretty quickly. Another interesting point. According to Arrowleaf’s Environmental Impact Statement, to ensure no pesticide leakage into the water table, the water it dumps on the golf course will not reach the river. So, don’t count on any of Arrowleaf’s golf water to go back into the basin. * Arrowleaf’s claim: it will consume less water each year than has been historically consumed by alfalfa and pasture irrigation on the property. Here’s where the public really deserves to know what’s going on in Mazama. Western water law provides that "if you don’t use it, you lose it." We have very strong grounds to believe they lost it. There has been little or no irrigation on the Arrowleaf property since the 1960s; Arrowleaf seemed to have gone into the alfalfa business in 1992, around the time RD Merrill purchased the land and began shoring up their alleged water rights. We are confident, and so apparently too is the State Department of Ecology, that most of Arrowleaf’s claimed rights long ago were legally abandoned or relinquished for non-use. Other claimed water rights cannot be used by Arrowleaf because they were issued under the Family Farm Act. Arrowleaf opponents got a big win 9 months ago in the State Supreme Court which explicitly questioned Arrowleaf’s irrigation rights and ordered additional hearings on abandonment and relinquishment. Arrowleaf has only recently restarted irrigation in a belated attempt to avoid relinquishment. The truth: Arrowleaf will consume hundreds of acre-feet of water that would ordinarily remain in the Methow Basin to serve the needs of farmers, ranchers, and fish. * Arrowleaf’s claim: the resort will provide a long-run economic base for the Valley. What they are really saying is that more money can be made for some people by taking water away from farmers and ranchers and using the water for resort development. If Arrowleaf is allowed to divert water from traditional agricultural uses, further vacation home and resort developments will not be far behind. The Valley will be a very different place if farms and ranches are replaced by golf courses, subdivisions, and retail services for part-time residents. Far more is at stake than a few hundred acre-feet of water; the outcome of this controversy will dramatically affect the future character of the entire Valley. [The disputed source of water information is reproduced below:] The straight scoop on Arrowleaf Water Methow Valley News, "My turn" opinions, August 19, 1999. - Terry O'Reilly, Construction Manager for Arrowleaf Resort. Recently there have been a number of inaccurate statements made regarding the water consumption proposed for the Arroleaf Resort project. Certain opponents of the project would have you believe that Arrowleaf somehow is the cause of present and future water resource problems in the Methow basin, including the endangered salmon and steelhead listings. Next, I fear, we will be held responsible for global warming and the Mariners' blundering bullpen. In an effort to put into perspective the actual water use proposed for the project, I offer the following comparison of Arrowleaf water consumption to typical agricultural water consumption in the valley. Keep in mind that consumed water is water that does not end up back in the aquifer or stream system via infiltration or return flows. At full build out 20 to 25 years from now, the total annual domestic consumption at Arrowleaf, including all residential, commercial, and visitor uses, will be 15.3 acre feet, roughly equivalent to the irrigation water consumed in one growing season by 9 acres of alfalfa. The point is that domestic uses, especially with a wastewater treatment system like Arrowleafs, consume very little water. Annual consumption for irrigation throughout the resort, icluding the golf course, will be 171.8 acre feet, equivalent to the irrigation water consumed by only 104 acres of alfalfa. And while Arrowleaf will provide living wage jobs, career opportunities for our children, and a long term economic base for the valley, a 104 acre field of alfalfa will not provide a living, for one family. To further put the Arrowleaf water consumption into perspective, there are by last count more than 50 ditch diversions in the basin, diverting from 1 cfs to 30 cfs. A single 20 cfs diversion, servicing about 500 acres of alfalfa, consumes the equivalnt of over four Arrowleaf Resorts at full build out. We are presently irrigating about 125 of our 1,200 acres, uing long established water rights. What we are proposing at Arrowleaf is to make the most of our existing water by changing them to serve new, highly efficient uses. At build out, Arrowleaf Resort will consume less water each year than has been historically consumed by alfalfa and pasture irrigation on the property. This "extra" water will be returned to the system to augment stream flows, contribute to the water resources of the valley, and enhance habitat for threatened and endangered fish. Our goal is to continue to set the highest standard for water and other resource use. Our hope is that others in this region might follow this example, protecting our environment while allowing room for people to live and visitors to enjoy.
Index to MVCC's campaign to avert a destination resort in the Methow Valley, Washington
