Worse, Marion County may not lift a finger to help you.
That's what happened to us and our neighbors in the South Salem hills when the Board of Commissioners approved on appeal a 42-lot subdivision on groundwater-limited land.

Here's why that decision made no sense.

When plans for this Measure 37 subdivision first surfaced we formed a Keep Our Water Safe committee. About $27,000 was raised from concerned area residents. It was spent on hydrogeologists who studied the water situation and an attorney who advised on legal issues.

After three nights of lengthy hearings, the Marion County Planning Commission approved 27 lots. But they told the applicant, Leroy Laack, that he had to conduct a Hydrogeologic Review before going ahead with the development.

This would show whether there was adequate water to supply the subdivision without harming nearby existing wells and springs that feed Spring Lake.

We helped out by asking neighboring property owners if they'd had to deepen or replace a well. Quite a few said "yes." They were worried that if there's water problems in the area now, things could get much worse if 42 more wells were drilled.

Our hydrogeologists did a study. Laack's hydrogeologist did her own study. They didn't agree. Then the Hydro Review required by the Planning Commission went to a geological consulting firm hired by Marion County for an independent assessment.

We felt vindicated when the firm failed the Hydro Review because there wasn't enough evidence to prove that neighboring wells and springs wouldn't be harmed by the subdivision. That's what our hydrogeologists had been saying.

The next step in the Marion County groundwater ordinance called for a Hydro Study that would collect new information needed to resolve unanswered questions about water availability in the area.

However, commissioners Sam Brentano and Patti Milne voted to approve the subdivision -- all 42 lots -- even though there's insufficient evidence of enough water for the development. What gives?

Well, politics gives. Brentano and Milne were concerned that the Measure 37 fix that will be on the ballot this fall would pass before Laack could build his subdivision, since then he'd be limited to three lots.

So they didn't want to require a water study that could take a year or more, even though this was supported by the independent experts hired by Marion County.
Without water, rural homes are nearly worthless. Yet two of the three Marion County commissioners basically said, "No water, no problem."

Measure 37 is turning out to be a disaster. So is the extreme pro-development stance of two Marion County commissioners that leads them to trash the water rights of the many in favor of the few.

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