Morton introduces critical measure for fire suppression in rural Washington

February 18, 2009

Olympia…Sen. Bob Morton, R-Kettle Falls, wants to cut through the tangle of red tape so rural property owners can build fire suppression ponds. 

“We don’t have a lot of swimming pools in rural Washington,” Morton said. “Fire suppression ponds store water just as a swimming pool does. Without a ready water supply, homes and farm buildings can be totally destroyed if a fire breaks out.” 

Senate Bill 6017 would make fire suppression ponds of less than ten-acre feet in volume exempt from surface water and ground water permitting requirements.  

The measure received a public hearing in the Senate Environment, Water and Energy Committee on February 17. Pete Guglielmino (Northport, Stevens County), a past president of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association, testified in favor of the bill. 

Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, a member of the committee, commented during the hearing that a lot more water than one might think is needed to fight a big fire. He said that six homes burned to the ground during the Broughton Lumber Company site fire in Skamania. He pointed out that the effort to suppress the September 2007 fire totally drained the public water supply in six hours.

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Additional contact: Penny Drost (360) 786-7522 or drost.penny@leg.wa.gov