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Brinnon: Gaining water right is `sticking point' to public
system, community members told BRINNON, WA-- Obtaining a water right might be the toughest part of installing a public water system in this south Jefferson County town if residents and business owners decide to go along with the idea. Jim Parker, manager of Jefferson County Public Utility District No. 1, explained the difficulties surrounding getting water rights during a meeting attended by about 35 people Wednesday night. ``Getting a water right is a sticking point,'' Parker said. ``They are difficult to get and there aren't a lot them around here.'' Sharing an existing water right might be a solution to that problem, he said, but there are other aspects that could halt the process. The utility district, which is in the water supply business, began looking at a water system covering 103 parcels of land north of the Dosewallips River after receiving a petition signed by 26 of the 69 landowners within its boundary. Four of the parcels are east of U.S. Highway 101 and the remainder are on the west side of the highway. PUD obligation Parker said the utility district is required to study a water system if it receives a petition containing at least 10 percent of the legal parcel owners. ``If it was 50 percent, plus one more, we'd have to go ahead with it, unless it wasn't financially feasible,'' Parker said. Even though a petition is in place, Parker explained, residents could defeat the project by filing a protest against the assessment after a preliminary
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