Last week, Spokane County’s Board of County Commissioners voted to put a measure on the August ballot asking West Plains residents whether they want to create an aquifer protection area.
If formed, the protection area will be similar to the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Protection Area, which voters in most of the rest of the county approved renewing on the ballot last year, with the city of Spokane joining in the boundaries of the fee area.
Under Washington law, these protection areas last for 20 years at a time and allow government entities to levy a fee on homeowners to collect money that can be used for planning, education, monitoring and enforcement efforts related to water (including drinking water, stormwater and sanitary sewer) in the covered aquifer area…