Saturday, October 3, 2026
Thurston County is going to tap into a $2.4 million grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology to acquire water rights.
The $2,406,457.46 grant is going to fund the purchase of approximately 800 acre-feet of water rights from TransAlta Water Bank. One acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons of water, which is equivalent to the water use of two to three average households annually.
The acquisition, announced on Dec. 19, would permanently dedicate water back to the Lower Skookumchuck and Chehalis rivers.
At the same time, it would offset the projected impacts of new domestic wells in the Chehalis Basin through 2040, and ensure continued residential building permitting in Thurston, Lewis and Grays Harbor counties.
Thurston County Board of County Commissioners Vice Chair Wayne Fournier hailed the investment as a milestone.
"This is a defining moment for our community," Fournier said. "With this investment we're recognizing the fact that water doesn't stop at the county line."
Behind the agreement is the county's need to comply with state requirements to offset impacts of new permit-exempt wells, predominantly rural domestic wells that lack a dedicated water right associated with each one.
The 2018 Streamflow Restoration Act allows for the continued development of such wells.
The Washington Legislature passed the law in response to the 2016 Washington State Supreme Court's Hirst decision. The ruling effectively restricted jurisdictions from approving any new building permits that rely on water wells for domestic use.
Under the act, jurisdictions must mitigate, offset or compensate for the water each dwelling uses.
The project, however, goes further than what the state requires. The county said the purchase secures extra water, in turn "creating tangible benefits for salmon, water quality, and overall watershed health."
The water rights purchase would increase in-stream flows permanently. In turn, that increase would support “cooler water temperatures, improved habitat connectivity and stronger resilience for fish and wildlife.”
The county also touted the project as one of the state's first climate-resilient water rights investments. The acquisition is designed to help river systems remain healthy during hotter, drier summers and more variable streamflows.
"We're proving we can responsibly reconcile the need for community growth with the fundamental necessity of protecting the health of our watershed and the future prosperity of the people who live here who can rely on this water for generations to come," Fournier said.
Before the purchase can proceed, the board of commissioners must approve the grant agreement. Thurston County would then enter into a purchase and sale agreement with TransAlta.
The final agreement would formally dedicate the water to the rivers. County officials anticipate the agreement will be ready for board review in early 2026.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the first paragraph. The county will not be pumping water back into the rivers.
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RondaLarsonKramer
This sounds like a positive step for river health and salmon recovery.
At the same time, I think some readers may have questions about how it aligns with the recent rezone of 250 acres at the Black Lake Quarry—from one house per 20 acres to Rural Resource Industrial—adjacent to the Black River National Wildlife Refuge, which includes sensitive aquatic habitat in a tributary of the Chehalis River.
That rezone was described as addressing a perceived shortage of Rural Resource Industrial (RRI) zoning, a shortage that was attributed to RRI locational constraints in the development code.
However, those same locational constraints were eliminated in the very vote that approved the rezone.
Because both actions were bundled within a large comprehensive plan update, there was little opportunity to see how they fit together.
Seeing the Black Lake Quarry rezone and the TransAlta Water Bank purchase decisions discussed side-by-side could help the public better understand the county’s overall approach to watershed and salmon protection.
Monday, December 29, 2025 Report this
RondaLarsonKramer
An additional thought: Stepping back, it may also be helpful to look at upstream and downstream decisions together. The Black Lake Quarry rezone affects upstream habitat in the Chehalis River, while the TransAlta Water Bank purchase focuses on downstream conditions in that river.
This raises and important question. Can downstream habitat improvements succeed if upstream habitat is impaired?
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 Report this