The City of Sammamish is not pleased with a developing perception that it is engaged in the “political battle” with Issaquah regarding proposed stormwater infiltration.

In a written statement, Sammamish noted its trying to remain a peacemaker between the Sammamish Plateau Water & Sewer District and Issaquah.

“The city doesn’t run the water district, but we’ve always been aware that some people assume we’re in charge,” Sammamish City Manager Ben Yazici said. “So, when this disagreement over infiltration of storm water in Issaquah Highlands started getting a lot of publicity, we tried very hard to make it clear the dispute was between the water district and Issaquah.”

The SPWSD and Issaquah have been in litigation for some time, but the dispute gained momentum in early May when the District went public, saying Issaquah’s proposed infiltration, and the state Department of Ecology’s consideration of the necessary permit, could potentially threaten the purity of local drinking water.

“When our councilmembers started seeing emails suggesting that ‘Sammamish was using fear tactics’ to further an ‘agenda,’ they were understandably perturbed,” Yazici said. “From the beginning, all our councilmembers did was to try to facilitate a resolution between the district and Issaquah, so it’s frustrating.”

The Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District serves customers in Sammamish, Issaquah and unincorporated King County.

Although Sammamish has not taken a side in the dispute, Yazici says the city has stayed in close touch with the Department of Ecology.

“Our councilmembers, and the citizens they represent, are very concerned about the quality of water in our city,” he said. “Rest assured that we’ll be tracking this very carefully and making sure that the purity of our drinking water is completely protected.”