A buried agreement proves Clallam Conservation District knew ditch piping could dry up wells—yet only the wealthy got mitigation while the public got silence. Now, the truth is out.
The Clallam Conservation District (CCD) has long downplayed the risks that piping open irrigation ditches might dry up nearby wells. In their publicly posted FAQ, the agency admits that groundwater drawdown is possible, but insists such outcomes are rare. They state that after 66 miles of piping since 1999, “the number of wells running dry…have been very few.” Whether a well will be impacted, they say, “depends on a number of factors,” and they’ve consistently portrayed the overall risk as minimal.
But a 2017 Mitigation Agreement buried in CCD’s own records tells a very different story.
The document shows that CCD knew a pipeline project near River Road in west Sequim would reduce aquifer recharge over four miles away—specifically impacting a large, well-connected farm.
The loss was quantified: about 20 acre-feet of groundwater per year. In response, CCD approved the construction of a private infiltration system to replace the water loss—but only for that powerful landowner.
There was no such help for residents relying on exempt wells in the area—no infiltration project, no outreach, and no acknowledgment that their wells might also be affected by the same piping projects. So while the public is being told there’s little to worry about, those with money and influence are quietly getting special treatment behind the scenes.
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