Thurston County, WA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- TCC 24.10.190
- Irrigation standard
- Class A reclaimed water, agronomic rates
- Where it applies
- All critical aquifer recharge areas (CARAs)
- Infiltration above agronomic rates
- Regulations pending further study
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 14773, effective 7-24-2012
- Related section
- TCC 24.10.030 (general CARA standards)
Summary
Thurston County allows irrigation with Class A reclaimed water at agronomic rates across all critical aquifer recharge areas under TCC 24.10.190, but infiltrating reclaimed water above agronomic rates is not yet regulated and remains pending further study.
A. Irrigation with Class A reclaimed water at agronomic rates is permitted in all CARAs, subject to TCC 24.10.030. B. Infiltration of reclaimed water (application to the land's surface above agronomic rates) Critical area regulations will be proposed when more information is available to Thurston County from the Regional Groundwater Recharge Scientific Study, and using other studies and information for reclaimed water following the requirements of the Growth Management Act (Chapter 36.70A RCW).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 77).
Full Breakdown
10 where groundwater is especially vulnerable to contamination because it recharges the aquifers used for drinking water. 030. 010 and the state Department of Ecology's reclaimed water standards; agronomic rates means application at the level plants can actually use, not disposal-scale spreading. Subsection B addresses the other end of the practice: infiltrating reclaimed water into the land's surface at rates above what plants take up. The code does not set numeric limits or a permit process for that activity yet. 70A RCW. 100, which classifies those facilities by CARA vulnerability category (prohibited in the most vulnerable zones, permitted subject to conditions in others).
The chapter was adopted by Ordinance No. 14773, § 3 (Attachment B), effective July 24, 2012, and administered by Thurston County Community Planning & Economic Development as the approval authority for CARA review.
Violations & Fines
Irrigating with reclaimed water that does not meet Class A standards, or applying reclaimed water above agronomic rates without the review Thurston County has yet to define, exposes an applicant to standard CARA enforcement: stop-work orders, permit denial or revocation, and code-enforcement penalties under Title 24's general critical areas enforcement provisions. Because subsection B's infiltration standard is explicitly still pending, the county's practical fallback is case-by-case review under the approval authority's general critical-area protection duty rather than a fixed penalty schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I irrigate with reclaimed water in Thurston County?
What counts as Class A reclaimed water?
Is there a permit for infiltrating reclaimed water above agronomic rates?
Who reviews reclaimed water proposals in Thurston County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thurston County
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