Water District 19 commissioners shared their plans for the future of water shares to an inquisitive group of affordable and market-rate housing developers, individual water share holders, and other water share hopefuls in a public meeting at the Land Trust building Tuesday, April 22.

Of the many changes in the district’s new water allocation policy, two of the most discussed were how the district proposes to manage zero-use Equal Water Units, or water shares, and prioritizing affordable housing.

Water District 19 is the largest water provider, by customers served, on Vashon. Its district includes Vashon rural town, the part of the island designated for greater density and development, so how it chooses to dole out water access plays a big role in how much new affordable housing the island can build.

In 2023, after lifting a decades-long water share moratorium, WD 19 held a lottery for its newly-available water shares. It gave 28 shares to 14 applicants, around half the number who applied. But of those who got shares, only four have taken steps so far to turn on their water. The district wants to start buying back untapped shares so it can give them to those who plan to actively use the water.

The district plans to set aside some water shares for affordable housing projects in a special pool. Both the special pool and the general pool would keep using lotteries to dole out shares if demand exceeds supply.

The district’s proposed new policy introduces a voluntary incentive: Water share holders could opt to sell their shares back to the district specifically to be resold into a “special use” pool specific for causes such as affordable housing. This could appeal to homeowners who want their returned shares to be of active use and benefit to the community, the board says.

Islander Brad Cooper, who has one untapped water share, suggested at the meeting that the district should put those who sell back their unused shares at the top of a future buyback list. If those who sell shares back could get “some sort of priority in the future,” they’d be more likely to let them go, Cooper reasoned.

Asked by the board how he’d respond to such a policy: “Oh, I would give it to you now,” Cooper said.

But crafting water policy is tricky. Board president Seth Zuckerman pointed out that even if those who sold back their shares were placed at the top of the buyback list, the district could make no promises about when more shares would become available — it could be ten years down the line, he said.

Cooper said tapping into his single unused water share is a matter of “when, not if.” But first, he will need to replumb the structure on his property to get the proper permitting needed to even use that second share.

The monthly fee to hold onto a single WD 19 water share — whether or not it is used — currently totals $93 every two months. (Customers also pay an amount based on how much water they use every two months.)

Since the moratorium lifted two years ago, the district has repurchased five water shares from its customers. The cost of holding on to a share is a motivator to sell, but it rarely tips the scale.

“It’s not cheap, but at the same time it’s cheaper than not being able to build or not being able to use the water at all,” Cooper said.

Though affordable housing will be privy to a special pool of shares, that doesn’t mean affordable housing developers will have at-will access to new shares. Kim Goforth, vice president of Vashon Household, raised concerns during the meeting about how the proposed annual water allocation schedule could hinder affordable housing projects.

“If we’re looking at a piece of property, we can’t wait for your annual event to find out if we get water, because someone will buy it out beneath us,” Goforth said.

Under the draft policy, applicants who receive a water share through the lottery would be granted a “conditional assignment,” contingent on securing permits within a set timeframe. Affordable housing developers like Vashon Household would also need to meet a deadline to obtain funding in order to retain their allocation.

Former WD 19 commissioner Bob Powell pointed out that this conditional approach could present problems for financing. Lenders might be wary of funding projects where a critical resource like water isn’t guaranteed unless permitting and construction is complete within a given.

The board hopes to adopt the water allocation policy at their May 13 meeting. Afterward, the district will complete a capacity analysis of their system, including capability of well and surface water sources and how much water is being consumed. Based on the findings of this analysis, the could release new water shares by June at the earliest.

Mari Kanagy is a contributing journalist to The Beachcomber.