Olympia utilities committee approves discount water rate for urban agriculture

The discount is “conceptual at this time,” he added. If approved by the city council, the discount would take effect in January 2023.

By Lorilyn C. Lirio
The Joke News
May 10, 2022

Excerpt:

Olympia Municipal Code 18.02.180 defines urban agriculture as “the use of land for farming, dairying, pasturing and grazing, horticulture, floriculture, viticulture, apiaries, animal and poultry husbandry, and accessory activities, including, but not limited to, storage, harvesting, feeding or maintenance of equipment, and onsite sales of agricultural products, but excluding stockyards, slaughtering or commercial food processing.”

To be qualified for a discounted irrigation rate, Christensen said they proposed the following:

The site has a separate water meter for irrigation
The site is predominately over 50% (by land cover) used for agriculture or community gardens
The site produces food or agricultural products for commercial sales or donation to food banks
The discount would be 50% of the rate, but only for water piped for agricultural uses.

Christensen said there are seven agriculture sites that would be eligible for discount:

Olympia Community Gardens, located at 1405 13th SE, with $2,077.55 utility bill in 2021
Westminster Baptist Church gardens, located at 1925 Boulevard Rd. SE, with a $930.42 utility bill in 2021
Eastside Urban Farm and Garden, located at 2326 4th Ave. E, with a $1,326.42 utility bill in 2021
Kiwanis at 212 Maple Park Ave. SE
Kiwanis at 3839 11th Ave. NW
Woodard Co-housing at 1620 Woodard Ave. NW

Read the complete article here.