Improvements to the water system

Many improvements were made to the water system since its inception. In 1988, a new well (Marshall Well located east of the lake) along 290th Avenue NE and a 205,000-gallon storage tank were added to the system.

By 1989, 20 years after the Association was formed, the number of members was nearly 600. Management and operation of the system continued under Renny and his company, L & R Systems, later known as Satellite Management Services. Another new tank (158,000-gallon capacity) and the American Hills Well came on line by 1991. The American Hills well was the first well located in the southern portion of the Association’s service area and was a significant improvement to the water system.

By 1994, the 25th year of the Association’s existence, membership had grown to 840, and the system’s coverage area was up to nearly 10 square miles. Soon after, the Daniels Ranch and Quail Creek plats were added to the system. The Association also assumed ownership of a well in Daniels Ranch drilled by the developer. And of course, for 25 years the Association had been adding water mains and supply services to new members joining the Association.

As we remember the 25th year of the Association, it’s a good time to remind ourselves that a water utility is not just about supplying water for your coffee and shower in the morning.  One of the founding principles of early water systems was to supply fire suppression water for fighting fires in addition to potable water.  If the  Association just had to build a water system to supply members potable needs, it could be a much smaller (in pipe diameter and water storage) and less costly system than the larger diameter pipes, pumps and hydrants to meet fire flow requirements and the significant water storage to keep fighting the fire. Thankfully, the Association’s founding members thought some firefighting capacity would be a very good idea for those living in remote forested settings. In the early days of the Association, water storage tank management to maintain adequate levels for firefighting and domestic needs sometimes took precedence over outside watering during hot summer days.

Neighborhood sign in the 1970s -1980s

Regulations and water rights

Over the years, the Association has had to comply with many new regulations and water supply related issues. These include development of Comprehensive Water System Plans, Water Conservation Programs, Wellhead Protection Plans and Emergency Management Plans. A Board member and later consultant to the Association, Bob Pancoast, was instrumental in addressing these regulations and communicating them to the Association members. Bob also initiated Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of the Association’s facilities and applied for grant funds from the Department of Ecology that financed the initial telemetry systems within the ALWA system.

<p>As the community of Redmond and surrounding region continued to grow, the Ames Lake/Tolt Hill area became a very desirable area – close in to the emerging “High-Tech” industry but with a “rural/country feel”.  The Ames Lake/Tolt Hill area became the location for several “Street of Dreams” new homes projects and upscale developments began to occur in the Association’s service area.  These larger homes built on landscaped (and irrigated) acreage used significant amounts of water.</p>

<p>After years of battling and negotiating with Ecology and Tribes for water right issues, it was clear that additional water rights in the Snoqualmie River Valley (WRIA #7) were not going to happen. The Association had to get more efficient with what they currently had in water rights. With this ongoing expansion of the Association’s membership, water conservation in light of restricted water rights from the Department of Ecology became an increasingly important goal. ALWA was one of the early regional adopters of Water Use Efficiency Plans and programs.</p>