Hundreds of students in the Edmonds School District will start the next school year at a different location than planned following a water supply discrepancy. The 650 students assigned to the new Madrona K-8 location will instead attend class at the former Alderwood Middle School.
The Edmonds School District applied for water service at Madrona from Olympic View Water & Sewer District. On Tuesday, the district notified families that OVWSD rejected the proposal.
Superintendent Dr. Kristine McDuffy said in a statement Tuesday, "We have worked tirelessly for over a year to find a resolution with the OVWSD... We entered the recent negotiations with open minds, open hearts and in good faith. Clearly, that was not the case for OVWSD. We are at a month past our contractors’ deadline for water. Our attention now is on making the best of a very challenging situation for our Madrona families and staff." See school district letter below
Construction is well underway on the new $49 million Madrona location. But officials with the water district say 120-foot stormwater wells being drilled there don't adequately protect the water supply.
The Edmonds School District hired an independent firm to review the water supply design and believes the design is more than adequate. But that didn't go deep enough for the water district.
OVWSD wants additional well dug to monitor water quality for 10 years at a cost to the district of about $70,000.
Until the school district and water district reach an agreement, Madrona's 650 students will plan to start the next school year at a 52-year-old former middle school in Lynnwood.
ORIGINAL STORY: School treading water over wells
