Shoreline, WA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SMC § 13.10.230(E)(2)(f)(ii)
- Affected area
- Deer Creek Wellhead Protection Buffer Area
- Exception
- Discharges to a public sanitary sewer system
- Also banned in buffer
- Greywater infiltration, hydrocarbon extraction
- Scope
- Applies only inside the mapped buffer, not citywide
Summary
Shoreline bans reclaimed or recycled water use within its one designated special drainage area, the Deer Creek Wellhead Protection Buffer Area, under SMC § 13.10.230, unless the water discharges to a public sanitary sewer system. Outside that mapped buffer, the code does not regulate recycled water use.
A. The director may designate "special drainage areas" where it has determined that the existing flooding, drainage, and/or erosion conditions present a threat of harm to the welfare or safety of the surrounding community. ... ... C. The city recognizes the following special draiange area(s): 1. Deer Creek Wellhead Protection Buffer Area. ... ... 2. If the special drainage area is located within a wellhead protection buffer area, the following additional requirements shall apply: ... ... f. The following activities are prohibited within the special drainage area: i. Irrigation and infiltration of greywater. ii. Reclaimed or recycled water use with the exception of activities that discharge to a public sanitary sewer system.
Full Breakdown
SMC § 13.10.230 lets the public works director designate "special drainage areas" where flooding, drainage, or erosion conditions threaten the surrounding community, and the city currently recognizes exactly one: the Deer Creek Wellhead Protection Buffer Area. Because that special drainage area sits within a wellhead protection buffer, subsection (E)(2) layers on extra requirements meant to protect the aquifer feeding the wellhead. Developers there must first notify the water purveyor that owns the adjacent well before submitting their application, and must share drainage plans, drainage reports, and geotechnical reports with that purveyor.
Subsection (E)(2)(f) then lists four activities the city prohibits outright within the buffer: irrigation and infiltration of greywater, reclaimed or recycled water use, extraction of hydrocarbon, and use of crumb rubber for artificial turf. The recycled-water ban carries one carve-out: it does not reach activities that discharge to a public sanitary sewer system, so a recycled-water use that stays in the sewer system rather than infiltrating near the well is not barred. The same subsection also bans deep underground injection wells and any infiltration that perforates a confining soil layer, and requires an applicant using an underground injection control well on mixed-business-zoned property to prepare pretreatment and maintenance plans.
This is a narrow, mapped restriction rather than a citywide recycled-water rule; property outside the Deer Creek buffer is not subject to SMC § 13.10.230's prohibitions. Violations fall under the Chapter 13.10 SMC nuisance and enforcement provisions in SMC § 13.10.400, enforced through SMC §§ 20.30.720 through 20.30.790.
Violations & Fines
Using reclaimed or recycled water within the Deer Creek Wellhead Protection Buffer Area in violation of SMC § 13.10.230(E)(2)(f)(ii) is a violation of Chapter 13.10 SMC, declared a public nuisance under SMC § 13.10.400 and enforced through the abatement and penalty procedures in SMC §§ 20.30.720 through 20.30.790, with costs assessable against the responsible party.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Shoreline ban recycled water use everywhere?
Is there any exception to the recycled water ban in the buffer area?
Why does Shoreline restrict recycled water near Deer Creek?
Who enforces the recycled water restriction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shoreline
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