Sammamish Officials Perplexed by 'Fear Tactics' Charge in Water District Tiff

After making a concerted effort to be the peacemakers between Issaquah and the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District, Sammamish city officials are perplexed by what they describe as a misunderstanding of local governance by local citizens.

Officials are scratching their heads, according to a city press release, after seeing email traffic last week that suggested Sammamish is engaged in a “political battle” with Issaquah.

“The city doesn’t run the water district, but we’ve always been aware that some people assume we’re in charge,” Sammamish City Manager Ben Yazici said. “So, when this disagreement over infiltration of storm water in Issaquah Highlands started getting a lot of publicity, we tried very hard to make it clear the dispute was between the water district and Issaquah.”

Although the two parties have been in litigation for a long time, the dispute ramped up when the water district sent a letter to its customers on May 20 saying Issaquah’s proposed infiltration, and the state Department of Ecology’s consideration of the necessary permit, could potentially threaten the purity of local drinking water. A substantial public debate has since broken out on the topic, with much of the back and forth being conducted via email.

“When our Council members started seeing emails suggesting that ‘Sammamish was using fear tactics’ to further an ‘agenda,’ they were understandably perturbed,” Yazici said. “From the beginning, all our Council members did was to try to facilitate a resolution between the district and Issaquah, so it’s frustrating.”

The Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District serves customers in Sammamish, Issaquah and unincorporated King County. Although Sammamish has not taken a side in the dispute, Yazici says the city has stayed in close touch with the Department of Ecology.

“Our Council members, and the citizens they represent, are very concerned about the quality of water in our city,” Yazici said. “Rest assured that we’ll be tracking this very carefully and making sure that the purity of our drinking water is completely protected.”