Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Management Area

Vashon-Maury Island is an island that lies in the Puget Lowland within the boundaries of King County. This island encompasses about thirty-seven square mile area of which 29.7 square miles is Vashon Island and 7.0 square miles is Maury Island. The two islands are linked by a narrow isthmus and are not therefore, two truly independent islands. The island is bordered on the west by Colvos Passage (across from the Kitsap Peninsula), on the south by Dalco Passage (from Tacoma), on the east by Puget Sound and King County, and on the north by Puget Sound.Vashon Island is about 13 miles long (north to south) and 4 miles across (east to west) in the widest areas. Maury Island is about 5 miles long (northeast to southwest) and about 1 mile across (northwest to southeast).

Vashon-Maury Island ground and surface waters provide all of the water needed for residential, commercial and agricultural needs. Water quality on Vashon-Maury Island is generally excellent. All drinking water sources on the island (springs, surface water, and groundwater) are supplied by local precipitation. Vashon-Maury Island was designated a Sole Source Aquifer by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in June 1994. The majority of the residents of Vashon-Maury Island get their drinking water from public water systems.

Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Protection Committee

Groundwater interactive map and searchable database of groundwater data
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Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Maps

Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Reports

Vashon-Maury Island Watershed Plan
The watershed plan describing many aspects of Vashon-Maury Island, published June, 2005.

Ongoing Groundwater Studies

Vashon-Maury Island Water Resources Evaluation
The Vashon-Maury Island Water Resources Evaluation is a project designed to describe and assess the water resources of the island. This project will provide a better understanding of how different activities can adversely affect the island's water quality and quantity and lead to an updated, more accurate water supply budget for the island.

Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study

This 4 year (2009-2012) study will evaluate the role of nitrogen in the risk of lethal, low-level dissolved oxygen events in Quartermaster Harbor (QMH), a sensitive marine embayment of Vashon-Maury Island (VMI) in Puget Sound.

Latest Report

• Vashon-Maury Island 2007 Water Resources Data Report

Water Suppliers on Vashon-Maury Island
This Groundwater Management Area has 22 Group A and 106 Group B Public Water Systems. The majority of the residents in this GWMA are serviced by the following Water Utility Service areas:

Burton	KC Water District 19
Dockton	Maury Mutual
Gold Beach	Westside
Heights

This page is produced by the King County Groundwater Protection Program. To learn more about this group and its responsibilities, please read about the Groundwater Protection Program.