Special series about growth in our area. Questions about water supply are already stopping some rural housing projects dead in their tracks. Several subdivisions are on hold in the Deschutes River basin south of the urban area, and the county isn't even accepting projects in the Scatter Creek watershed, notes county water-resources specialist Tom Clingman.
New development stymied by water supply is a phenomenon playing out across the state.
It can take years to get a water right processed. Even then, the request to drill a new well may be turned down. The difficulty in obtaining water rights is starting to steer larger housing projects into the urban area where water is available, says Bob Patrick, principal planner for Landmark Inc. of Olympia. Water supply is a deciding factor in where growth will occur. Caught in backlog Countrywood Estates, a 112-lot subdivision on 130 acres just south of Lacey's urban growth boundary, is an example of a project without water.