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Kittitas County 2024 Rural Area Drought Management <br />Program <br />Background <br />The May 15, 2014 Settlement Agreement between Kittitas County, the Washington State <br />Department of Ecology, Furturewise, the Kittitas County Conservation Coalition, and RIDGE <br />Association identifies that, <br />Rural Area Drought Management Program. During periods of declared drought in <br />the Yakima River basin, the County will implement a prepared water conservation <br />program for those new and existing rural domestic ground water users such that <br />minimal uses ofground water are consumed. This will include notification to <br />mitigated pre-existing exempt well users that they are at risk of being curtailed except <br />for indoor domestic uses and irrigation of 500 sq. ft. of exterior yard. <br />This document serves as the prepared water conservation program to be implemented in <br />response to the 2024 drought. <br />Program Element No. 1 Water Conservation Program Education and <br />Outreach <br />Kittitas County will update its webpage, issue a press release, and utilize social media to notify <br />mitigated pre-existing exempt well users that they are at risk of being curtailed except for indoor <br />domestic uses and irrigation of 500 square feet of exterior yard. <br />Education and outreach efforts will also identify measures all county residents can take to reduce <br />water consumption. These educational efforts will focus on outdoor irrigation since outdoor <br />irrigation results in much higher consumption rates than indoor uses. <br />Education and outreach will also inform that some wells are susceptible to going dry and identify <br />steps these water users can take to extend their supplies. We will encourage water users <br />experiencing dry wells to report these issues to Kittitas County. <br />Program Element No. 2 Ecology Drought Response Grant Funding <br />As part of their Emergency Drought Declaration, the Department of Ecology announced Drought <br />Response Funding. This grant source will provide up to 50% state share match of an eligible <br />project cost and one of the funding objectives to address drought -related hardships to Public <br />Water Supply. <br />