Water rights: Not hard to defuse this controversy

Re: “Legislature adjourns without a deal on water-rights case,” (TNT, 7/22).

This controversy stemming from our Supreme Court seems so silly. A hydrologist, civil engineer or smart kid can easily figure out the water budget for a home.

In Western Washington, it rains about 39 inches per year and half can be assumed to wind up in the groundwater on average. So, one acre of land will receive 71,000 cubic feet of water.

A typical home might use 120,000 cubic feet per year, but half that water will go back into the ground from lawn sprinkling, septic tank, etc. So one home can be supplied water from one acre of land on average.

In Eastern Washington, it rains about 10 inches per year, so it takes about 4 acres to supply enough water for a home.

(Myrick is a retired water quality manager for Tacoma Water.)

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Water rights: Not hard to defuse this controversy."