HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal 2025 1120 Council Agenda PacketMoses Lake City Council
Dustin Swartz, Mayor | Judy Madewell, Deputy Mayor | Don Myers, Council Member | Mark Fancher, Council Member
Deanna Martinez, Council Member | David Skaug, Council Member | Victor Lombardi, Council Member
Thursday, November 20, 2025
Moses Lake Civic Center – 401 S. Balsam (no remote options)
Special Meeting
Call to Order – 4:00 p.m.
1.Water Legislation Strategy – pg 2
Moses Lake Water Supply Needs – pg 5
Lobbyist Briahna Murray, GTH Consulting
Adjournment
Future Regular Council Meetings November 25 and December 9.
NOTICE: Individuals planning to attend the in-person meeting who require an interpreter or special
assistance to accommodate physical, hearing, or other impairments, need to contact the City Clerk at (509)
764-3703 or Deputy City Clerk at (509) 764-3713 at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
All Council Agendas Online:
COML Council Packet 11-20-25, Page 1 of 6
City of Moses Lake, Washington
2026 State Advocacy Agenda
Top Priorities
Urgent Sewer Line Replacement
In mid-2025, a main sewer line that runs underwater on the Moses Lake lakebed broke,
causing some untreated water to flow into the lake. Over 1.7 million gallons of sewage is
pumped through this force main per day. Once aware of the rupture, the city routed
wastewater through a backup system and completed an emergency repair on the water line
that temporarily addressed the breakage. To replace the pipe and address the leakage
more permanently, the City of Moses Lake requests $2.3 million in state partnership to
respond to this unexpected and urgent community need.
Mae Valley I-90 Interchange at Hansen Road (Exit 174)
The Mae Valley Interchange is undersized for current and future growth on the west side of
Moses Lake. In addition, the Hansen Road overpass at that interchange is currently load-
limited and needs significant maintenance and preservation investments to address public
safety concerns. For example, when the City deploys fire trucks to respond to calls in this
area of the community, the fire trucks must be sent empty (without water) to pass the load
limit on the overpass. The City of Moses Lake requests that the state prioritize reconfiguring
this interchange to accommodate growth and address safety issues.
Water Availability for a Growing Community
The City of Moses Lake asks for the state’s partnership in securing adequate potable water
supply to its growing community. Moses Lake has historically relied on water from an
ancient basalt aquifer that is declining each year. Despite significant water conservation
eƯorts, during the summer months, several of the City’s current wells begin pumping air.
With the State’s help, the City needs to establish new water sources to meet the long-term
water needs of a growing community.
Moses Lake Crossing
Currently, I-90 is the only east-west crossing of Moses Lake. When I-90 is blocked due to an
accident, residents must travel long distances to take an alternative route. The City
requests state investment in constructing a second crossing over Moses Lake to ensure
eƯicient alternative routes in the event of an emergency, and to facilitate growth and
economic development in one of the City’s growth centers - Mae Valley. Additionally,
constructing a crossing will take east-west local traƯic oƯ the state system. The City will be
identifying the location of a crossing in 2026 and asks for the state’s partnership to
construct the crossing.
COML Council Packet 11-20-25, Page 2 of 6
City of Moses Lake, Washington
Policy Statements
Sustainable Energy
The City of Moses Lake supports eƯorts to ensure that the region has sustainable power to
support growing industries. Grant County PUD’s power portfolio is largely reliant on the
Priest Rapids Project (Wanapum and Priest Rapids Dams) to provide energy for the
region. The region’s retail load growth is nearing the maximum energy output of the
dams. Given that, to meet the energy needs of the community, the County needs resources
to lean into generating power through natural gas with more attainable carbon capture
technology, nuclear, hydrogen, and other alternative energy sources. Alongside other
partners, the City supports the following eƯorts:
- Establishing policies and mechanisms to increase transmission capacity
- Changes and exemptions to the Clean Energy Transformation Act
- Allocating Climate Commitment Act funds to energy projects
Association Development Organization Funding
Associate Development Organizations (ADOs) serve as the local economic development
facilitators throughout the state. ADOs coordinate business recruitment, retention, and
expansion, provide export assistance and support research, planning, and implementation
of local economic development strategies. The City of Moses Lake supports ADOs
receiving ongoing stable funding.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Incentives
The City of Moses Lake is proud to have Twelve, a sustainable aviation fuel producer,
located in its community. The City supports state law changes, including adjustments to
the state’s sustainable aviation fuel tax credit, to incentivize Twelve’s continued presence
in Washington State and the Moses Lake community.
Industrial Land Development
The City of Moses Lake has industrial land available for warehousing, distribution, and
manufacturing. In 2019, a consultant analyzed the industrial land supply in Moses Lake
and found 2,687 acres of vacant, partially used, or under-utilized land. The City supports
modifications to regulations, including those around shrub-steppe habitat, and other
incentives to facilitate a balanced utilization of this land.
PFAS Contamination
The City of Moses Lake, like many communities across the nation, is addressing
polyfluoralkyls (PFAS) substances or “forever chemicals” in the City’s water supply. The
City encourages the state to align state PFAS regulations with evolving regulations at the
COML Council Packet 11-20-25, Page 3 of 6
federal level and supports statewide investments in communities to test for and remove
PFAS contamination.
Fiscal Sustainability/Unfunded Mandates
The City of Moses Lake supports eƯorts to fund grant programs and funding tools to provide
services and infrastructure for a growing community. The City also opposes unfunded
mandates, including increased liability and new responsibilities that are not accompanied
by adequate funding.
Local Control
The City of Moses Lake asks that the Legislature honor the local decision-making process
to allow policies to be crafted with public input and tailored to the unique needs of a
community. The City will oppose eƯorts that infringe on local control, particularly in the
areas of land use, development codes, and management of the right-of-way.
The City of Moses Lake supports those agenda items of the Association of Washington
Cities’ Legislative Agenda that best serve the Moses Lake Community.
COML Council Packet 11-20-25, Page 4 of 6
Moses Lake Water Supply Needs: 12,700-acre-feet
Background: The City of Moses Lake has long depended on a deep basalt aquifer (Wanapum/Grande
Rhonde) for its municipal water supply, which includes drinking water and residential irrigation uses.
The deep basalt aquifer is depleting at an unsustainable rate. In Moses Lake’s water system, there are
four deep basalt wells where the water level has dropped by more than 180 feet since the City started
using them. At this rate of decline, a number of the City’s existing basalt aquifer wells may not be able to
produce water in the next 20 to 30 years.
Of the City’s 13,104 acre-feet senior water right for the aquifer, it is currently using approximately 8,000
acre-feet per year. Agricultural users were given temporary access and now consume over 90% of the
deep basalt aquifer’s output, calling into
question whether the City could feasibly
utilize its full water right.
The Odessa Groundwater Replacement
Project should, with time, reduce
withdrawals by agricultural users. Even
when that occurs, the aquifer does not
replenish and has been depleted – Moses
Lake can no longer rely exclusively on the
aquifer to provide water to the
community. The city needs to diversify its
water supply. To secure a sustainable
water future, the City aims to acquire an
additional 12,700 acre-feet of water rights
from sources other than the deep basalt
aquifer by 2056. In the near term, to take
pressure oƯ of its existing struggling wells,
the City needs 5,000 acre feet of new
water sources.
FAQ: How does a community on a Lake
have a shortage of water? The Moses
Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District
has a 50,000-acre-feet water right for Lake
water for irrigation purposes only. The
remaining Lake water is controlled by the
Bureau of Reclamation as part of the
Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. The City
does not hold a water right for water in Moses Lake, and no additional lake water rights are available.
COML Council Packet 11-20-25, Page 5 of 6
Immediate Action: Moses Lake has or is in the process of taking immediate action to improve water
stability and slow the rate of decline in the deep basalt aquifer:
Preserve What’s Left of the Basalt Aquifer: To protect its senior water rights, the City will
advocate for the completion of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project and the Odessa Groundwater
Replacement Project to transition agricultural users away from the basalt aquifer, thereby
reducing overall deep aquifer depletion.
Water Conservation: The City has aggressively implemented water conservation measures,
including tiered pricing and irrigation restrictions, to reduce demand by 500 acre-feet annually,
which is 5% of 2025 water usage.
STATE REQUEST
Long-term Solutions Require State Partnership
Shallow Water Rights: The City has 1,800-acre feet in existing shallow water rights and requests the
state’s assistance (DOE approval and funding) in accessing additional shallow water rights above the
basalt layer within the gravel and sand material closer to the surface, allowing them to more easily
replenish. At least 5,000 acre feet of new shallow rights and wells are needed in the near term.
Surface water from the Columbia River: Surface water from the Columbia River is a potential
source of municipal water. In fact, the Columbia Basin Irrigation project is only using about 65% of
the water it has been allocated. To access this water, the City has applied for a 5,200-acre-foot
Municipal and Industrial (M&I) contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Once legal access is
obtained, the City will need state funding to construct a treatment facility, or facilities, and pipes and
pumps to convey the surface water from a local canal into the City’s water system (there are several
potential configurations).
Access Irrigation Water Rights: Unique to Moses Lake and unlike other eastern Washington
communities, the city delivers water for both drinking and irrigation through a single municipal water
system. The City could access irrigation water rights from Moses Lake through a partnership with
Moses Lake Irrigation District, but the Department of Ecology has said that the irrigation water from
the Lake cannot be combined with drinking water in the city’s single water system. The City requests
an amendment in state law to allow this irrigation water to be used for irrigation and be delivered
through the City’s municipal water system.
COML Council Packet 11-20-25, Page 6 of 6