SEQUIM — The most powerful force to manage growth in Eastern Clallam County could flow out of your faucet.
The state Department of Ecology is preparing to write a rule for water use in the Dungeness River valley that would preserve the rights of most users already on wells or public systems.
New homes and businesses, however, might face limits on how much water they may use, when and how they may use it.
Existing water rights already total more water than the Dungeness can supply in late summer, severely stressing runs of salmon and trout.
Ecology’s rule would establish an “instream flow” that is a water right for the endangered fish.
Water rights for people are ranked by seniority, with tribes holding the oldest rights “from time immemorial.”
Irrigation systems also are beyond restriction, especially since ditch companies voluntarily have piped many of their networks to conserve water.