Washington
Farmers say proposed drinking water requirements would drive up costs • Washington State Standard
The state Department of Health is considering an update to how it exempts small farms from some drinking water requirements.
The department says it’s a simple fix to outdated and inaccurate language to what’s known as the “same farm exemption,” but farmers say the changes could be costly and burdensome – especially for farms with onsite housing for employees.
Under a 1995 state law, water systems with four or fewer connections, serving residences on the same farm and providing water to fewer than 25 people a day are excluded from some regulatory requirements that larger public water systems face.
The updated language would require those exempt farms to reapply every five years for the exemption. If at any point, the farms didn’t qualify, the Department of Health would have the authority to take away the exemption.
Jay Gordon, at the Washington State Dairy Federation, said proving that they fit the requirements every year could be expensive, unnecessary and go against what the Legislature intended when setting up the exemption in state law.
“We don’t actually know what’s going to be required as every well is somewhat different,” Gordon said. “But you’re asking a lot of people to prove they’re exempt from something that the Legislature already says they’re exempt from.”
Gordon said the changes could have broad financial implications on small farms that are already struggling. Testing water and reapplying could cost thousands of dollars, he said.
If a farmer owns multiple rentals on their property that they use to house workers temporarily, they’ll have to follow the new application process, Gordon said.
“Either the farmer eats that money or passes it off to employees or tenants,” Gordon said.
Roberto Bonaccorso, spokesman for the Department of Health, said the only change to current policy is requiring the five-year approval for the exemption, which allows the state to maintain safe and reliable drinking water for the employees of agricultural entities.
The five-year application would be similar to what businesses complete in a water facilities inventory form, which requires them to state their water system’s source and treatment as well as the number of connections it uses, Bonaccorso wrote in an email.
The department is proposing the change following a request from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study unregulated public water systems in the lower Yakima valley, Bonaccorso said.
Some of those farms were claiming a same farm exemption, despite being a larger facility than what the exemption allows, in part because of the 1995 law, which the department said was unclear and needed to be updated. “This misunderstanding caused DOH to review the policy and update to clarify its implementation,” he added.
In a June letter to the Department of Health, Yakima County’s public services director Lisa Freund wrote that the department should keep local governments and their regulations in mind when finalizing the rule. Counties are the ones who have to implement the rules, Freund wrote, and the water monitoring standards vary across them.
There is a public comment period open through Aug. 26. Ben Tindall, executive director at Save Family Farming, said the department has been responsive to some of their concerns so far.
But there are still questions surrounding the cost of this change, how many people it could affect and why the change is being made, Tindall said.
“This is very much a step in the wrong direction, and it’s going to damage farms throughout the state,” Tindall said.
Gordon said another concern is that the department does not have the authority to change this policy in the way that they are doing it. He said the department should either go through a formal rulemaking process or leave it up to the Legislature to change the exemptions process as they are the ones who made the law in the first place.
“They’re proposing pretty broad changes, and we certainly don’t think they have the legal authority to do this,” Gordon said. “At a high level, this is really bad governance.”
Bonaccorso wrote that there has been a discussion about requesting legislation but that a policy update can be done in a shorter time frame and implemented accurately to address the concerns regarding unregulated public water systems.
“It is common to update internal policies,” he said.
Following the public comment period, the department will review the feedback and consider making changes to the draft policy, which will then be updated on their website. There is no timeline for implementation yet.
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This story contains descriptions of fatal violence against a transgender person.
The Seattle Police Department are searching for a suspect after a 19-year-old University of Washington student was stabbed to death in an off-campus student apartment complex on May 10.
Seattle Police Department Detective Eric Muñoz told NBC News that the victim is “believed to be a 19-year-old transgender female” who was enrolled at the university. The victim has not yet been publicly identified by name. She was found in the housing complex laundry room shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday night.
The housing complex, Nordheim Court, is privately managed but affiliated with the university, located near an upscale shopping center in Seattle’s U-Village neighborhood. According to NBC News, residents received an official alert from UW to stay inside their homes and lock all windows and doors — an alert that was lifted around 1 a.m. with the acknowledgment that “a death investigation remains ongoing.”
According to SPD detective Eric Muñoz, police and the fire department attempted lifesaving measures but ultimately “pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.”
“Officers are actively searching for the suspect, believed to be a black male with a beard, 5’6-8” tall, wearing a vest with button up shirt, and blue jeans,” Muñoz wrote in a blotter report.
Muñoz noted that the victim would be identified by the medical examiner’s office in “the coming days.” The SPD did not immediately respond to Them’s request for comment.
This is the seventh known trans person to be violently killed in 2026. In mid-April, 39-year-old transmasculine farmer Luca RedBeard was fatally shot in rural New Mexico. Last week, police in Marion County, Florida opened a homicide investigation into the shooting death of a 29-year-old who went by multiple names and referred to “transitioning” on social media. In Kentucky, an investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old trans college student Murry Foust remains ongoing.
Police are asking anyone with information about the University of Washington case to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000, emphasizing that anonymous tips are accepted.
This is a developing story.
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On a quiet stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive in South Seattle, the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture rises like a long‑overdue acknowledgment. Its brick exterior doesn’t shout; it invites. Inside, the rooms hum with the stories of families who crossed borders, harvested fields, organized classrooms, and built communities across Washington state—often without seeing their histories reflected anywhere on a museum wall.
For Rogelio Riojas, founder and CEO of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, the museum is a promise kept. “We wanted to make sure the contributions of Latinos in Washington state are recognized and preserved for future generations,” he told The Seattle Times when the museum opened in 2019. It was a simple statement, but one that captured decades of work—both visible and invisible—by the region’s Latino communities.
Walking through the galleries feels like stepping into a living archive. One of the most arresting sights is a pair of original farmworker cabins, transported from Eastern Washington. Their narrow wooden frames and sparse interiors speak volumes about the migrant families who once slept inside after long days in the fields. The cabins are not replicas or artistic interpretations; they are the real thing, weathered by sun, dust, and time. They anchor the museum’s narrative in the physical realities of labor that shaped the state’s agricultural economy.
Sea Mar describes the museum as “dedicated to sharing the history, struggles, and successes of the Latino community in Washington state,” a mission that plays out in photographs, letters, student newspapers, and oral histories contributed by community members themselves. These aren’t artifacts chosen from afar—they’re family treasures, personal archives, and memories entrusted to the museum so they can live beyond the kitchen tables and shoeboxes where they were once kept.
The story extends beyond the museum walls. Just steps away is the Sea Mar Community Center, a sweeping, light‑filled gathering space designed for celebrations, performances, workshops, and community events. With room for nearly 500 people, a full stage, a movie‑theater‑sized screen, and a catering kitchen, the center was built with one purpose: to give the community a place to see itself, gather, and grow. Sea Mar describes it as “a welcoming space for families, organizations, and community groups to gather, celebrate, and learn,” and on any given weekend, it lives up to that promise.
Together, the museum and community center form a cultural campus—part historical archive, part living room for the region’s Latino communities. Students come to learn about the Chicano activists who reshaped the University of Washington in the late 1960s. Families come to see their own histories reflected in the exhibits. Visitors come to understand a story that has long been present in Washington, even if it wasn’t always visible.
The Sea Mar Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering free admission to anyone who walks through its doors. For many, it’s more than a museum—it’s a recognition, a gathering place, and a testament to the people who helped shape the Pacific Northwest.
Preserving Latino History and Community Life in Washington was first published on Washington Latino News (WALN) and republished with permission.
Celebrate Mothers Day with à la carte brunch at Lady Madison featuring seafood, entrées, desserts, and premium beverage options.
Celebrate Mothers Day in sophisticated style at Lady Madison, located inside Le Méridien Washington, DC, The Madison. Join us on Sunday, May 10, 2026, from 12:003:00 PM for an elevated à la carte brunch experience in downtown Washington, DC.
Enjoy a refined selection of chef-driven brunch classics, fresh seafood, seasonal salads, and elegant entrées. Highlights include a Build Your Own Omelette, Crab Benedict with lime hollandaise, Chilled Seafood Trio, and signature mains such as Roasted Rack of Lamb, Cedar Plank Sea Bass, and Marinated New York Strip Loin.
End on a sweet note with classic desserts including Crème Brûlée Cheesecake, Fruit Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, and Passion Fruit Cake.
Enhance your experience with beverage offerings, including bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys for $30 with house selections. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne is also available by the glass for $16 or by the bottle for $49.
Reserve on OpenTable:
https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=1426987&restref=1426987&experienceId=695240&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared
À La Carte Menu
Les ufs & Brunch
Egg White Frittata $24
spinach, tomato, mushrooms, green onion
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Build Your Own Omelette $24
ham, smoked salmon, vegetables, cheeses (choose up to 3)
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Crab Benedict $24
lime hollandaise, salsa cruda
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Brioche French Toast $17
berry compote, whipped butter, maple syrup
Les Froids & Salades
Chilled Seafood Trio $28
Jonah crab claws, shrimp, cocktail sauce
Spring Berry Salad $17
brie, berries, champagne vinaigrette
Golden & Crimson Beet Salad $18
red wine vinaigrette
Add protein: shrimp, salmon, skirt steak +18 | chicken +16
Les Plats Principaux
Roasted Rack of Lamb $42
mint sauce, huckleberry reduction, sweet potato purée, asparagus
Cedar Plank Sea Bass $49
saffron rice, spring vegetables
New York Strip Loin $42
mushroom sauce, truffle croquette potatoes, haricots verts
Les Desserts $14
Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
Fruit Tart
Strawberry Shortcake
Passion Fruit Cake
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