Letter to Editor | We need to take a look at these new ESWD assessments

— from Becky Flint —

Those of us that grew up in Eastsound when there were open sewer ditches that ran to the beaches have an extra respect and appreciation for the Eastsound Sewer & Water District (ESWD) although I am sure the folks that currently live, work and visit Eastsound also appreciate the sewer district that treats the waste generated above our aquifer.

However, if you are one of the many who were recently re-assessed and are taken aback at the high assessments, the interpretation of and implementation of perceived policy over written policy, I understand. It is not my intention to disparage the ESWD. It employs some hard working people with a thankless job.

On the other hand affordable housing is concentrated within the Urban Growth Area (UGA). The recent survey within the UGA reflects that the average income within the UGA is lower than average. Yet anyone hoping to provide a modest space for an affordable price will be assessed at the highest possible rate. This trickles down to the lowest earning population. Is this what we want from our District?

For example if you have a daylight basement with an exterior entrance,
a bathroom, and a wet bar or sink of any sort outside of the bathroom, the ESWD considers this a “usable space” regardless of whether or not you rent it out separately. If you have a bathroom in your garage and a sink outside the bathroom this is a “useable space.” Or you may have a 200 SF travel trailer in your backyard that, if hooked up to the sewer system, is assessed the same as a 5000 SF house even if you only use it for a visiting friend or relative.

A “useable space” is assessed an $8100 Facility Charge, a permit fee of
$500, an additional Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) fee of $100 plus
an ongoing monthly fee of $48.

Although the ESWD policies allow for providing space for “household employees,” the way they interpret the policy does not allow for this
without being assessed for another “useable space.”

The treatment plant was built in the 1980s and is in desperate need of capital improvements. In the August 2019 district meeting ESWD employee Roy Light stated that the treatment plant was at 100% capacity. The following month the plant was at 128% peak season capacity according to a Board Commissioner.

This is not sustainable according to Mr. Light. He assured us that it would subside with the seasonal use. When asked if the vacation rental market impacted this he indicated that it did. So what happens next summer when all of the units at OPALS project at April’s Grove are connected? What happens if the county continues to approve 100% of vacation rental applications?

When asked what happens if the treatment plant is above 90% capacity, Mr. Light explained that the organic process does not have the opportunity to be complete. So what IS going out into the Sound at peak season?

Currently the capital improvements necessary exceed 1 million dollars
and so far are being funded by assessments and monthly fees so it is
understandable that there are a flood of reassessments. But what is
wrong with this picture? Everyone on the island benefits from the
community of Eastsound yet the capital improvements rest on the
shoulders of the lowest earning population.

Housing for the hard working class on the island takes hit after hit. Vacation rentals wipe out housing for workers but it is a double whammy by the ESWD. Not only are the interpretations of the ESWD policies targeting affordable rentals and assessing a 200 SF “useable space” the same as a 5000 SF “useable space” but this lowest earning population is shouldering the burden of the capital improvements of the district that serves the whole island.

I have been told by one ESWD Board Commissioner that our district is more affordable than most. In surveying several districts on the mainland, I did not find this to be the case. One oddity is that residential and non-residential are open to interpretation. If you are considered non-residential such as a Bed & Breakfast you can be assessed via the amount of water you use. If you are residential you are assessed the highest possible rate even if your water usage is a fraction of a non-residential user even if you appeal to the Board and provide evidence of low usage. This makes no sense and appears to be in conflict with the Mission statement of the ESWD.

So how do we change this? This is our District and we can make a difference. Admittedly going to a Sewer District meeting isn’t fun. In speaking up against inconsistent interpretation of written policy I have been insulted and discouraged by Chairman Greg Ayers, and that needs to change.

We need to support the ESWD District and its thankless but critical role it plays in the health and safety of our community. We can do this by appealing to our County Councilman and ask them to support a Community Block Grant for ESWD for capital improvements. All of us benefit from the community of Eastsound and we all need to share the burden, not to mention protecting our aquifer located under this high density area. Being awarded a block grant will take the pressure off of the ESWD in several ways. With our help we can help them reach their Mission Statement in providing an affordable service.