In your April 9 issue of the Whidbey News-Times, Mr. Don Lee, chairman of WRAC (Water Resources Advisory Committee), which is advising for changes in the Water Resource Management Plan, wrote that we need not be concerned about the scarcity of water in the island’s aquifers. He enumerated scientific sounding data to support that notion.

Recently I attended the meeting of the WRAC in Coupeville. There, a different picture was painted by members of the same committee that Don Lee chairs.

It was noted that 90 percent of all who live in the county areas get their water from wells. It was also noted that the expected or hoped for population of the county will be 100,000 shortly. Then they also recognized that the wells of those living near the island’s shores are experiencing seawater intrusion.

After that, each alternative, except one, was discussed at length. Those getting the most attention and emphasis were things like the necessity for conservation. The tenor of this discussion became significantly draconian. This is when a high powered water rights attorney from California took over the meeting. In reassuringly soothing tones he emphasized the severe need for conservation of what little water we have, and he soundly castigated people who water their lawns in the summertime. That sure sounds different from what Mr. Lee has to say.

So how can we account for the differences? A look at the alternatives discussed and emphasized compared to the alternative dismissed is a good clue. Alternatives such as seawater desalinization were ruled out as too expensive. Then the subject turned to using the island’s aquifer. Suddenly all the concerns of the past about the limitations of our underground water disappeared as we were told (like Don Lee) that wells could be drilled to take water from areas of apparent surplus that they had determined were not needed and transport it to areas of need. This was loudly touted as the only alternative that would meet the county’s needs. Hmmmm! How interesting that in the next breath they decided that there are surpluses that no one needs.

Why should the county’s current and prior residents be sacrificed for profiteering developers, real estate interests and businessmen?

It would seem that the big bucks not only have managed to get our county tax money to fund this scientific sham, but also are trying to get all of us to fund their scheme for taking our water away from us and “transporting” it for their profit.

The sudden rush for all these “improvement projects,” including Oak Harbor’s delusion of grandeur, must be to get them written in stone before everyone gets wise to what they are doing and start demanding a moratorium on new housing, especially against high density and multi-residence projects.

One alternative was dismissed. What if residential building permits for Whidbey Island or Island County were limited to single family residences on minimum 5 acre lots, except inside city limits. And only one permit granted per two year period per individual, entity or associated affiliates? That would put the brakes on big buck developers who would like to gobble up all the island’s resources and encourage the type of growth most of us would prefer.

Al Williams

Oak Harbor