NEAR YELM, Wash. -- It seemed like a hopeless situation for decades. Olympia and nearby communities needed new, safer, more dependable public drinking water sources. But drilling wells could deplete the water table that feeds the Deschutes River and make a bad salmon problem even worse.
But then along came a one in a million opportunity -- $1 million from the cities to a sheep farm near Yelm for it's freshwater springs and irrigation rights.
The cities will restore the springs' natural paths to the Deschutes, plant native trees on the barren banks to cool the river, and recreate wetlands in the fields to help control runoff.
Olympia Public Works officials say they would have had to build an expensive new treatment facility at their existing well field if this deal hadn't gone through.
The new well field is more secure and dependable and is expected to meet the city's water needs for years to come.
The Squaxin Island Indian Tribe is convinced the deal with provide enough water to help the Deschutes, once one of the region's largest Coho salmon rivers, get back some of the salmon habitat it has lost over the years.
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