Save Tacoma Water carefully researched these water protection petitions, waiting months for some of our public records requests to be fulfilled. We found that only one fresh water user uses an incredible amount of fresh water each day – WestRock, or more commonly known as Simpson Kraft Paper Mill. That company uses a staggering 15.52 million gallons of fresh water daily. That paper mill has been a part of Tacoma’s history since 1928 when the plant was first built, it is still in operation today and is grandfathered in under a provision in the water protection petitions we are currently collecting signatures on.

No other industry comes close to using that amount of fresh water daily, in fact, of the other 9 top fresh water users, not one of them uses enough water to trigger a public vote – that is how reasonable the water protection petitions are.

The scare put into us by the sponsors of the largest methanol plant in the world was a wake up call to Tacomans. Save Tacoma Water filed the water protection petitions to prevent super huge water users from sneaking into our community like Northwest Innovation Works tried to do. The water protection petitions are our insurance that this won’t happen again in the future. Requiring a public vote by the people to approve an industry that wants to use more than a million gallons of fresh water daily is necessary to ensure a full discussion ensues when the next super huge fresh water user comes to town.

Citizen Lawmakers

Join our volunteers each Saturday and go out with us to collect signatures – be a citizen lawmaker and help us gain access to the ballot. Each Saturday we will have training sessions for newbies and we will pair up people as it is much more fun to petition with a partner. Each Saturday we have a goal of having 500 signatures turned in during the week. We need 10-20 people each week to join us in collecting signatures to reach our goal for the week. We will have places to go and stories to share each week as we get closer and closer to our goal of 9,000 signatures.

For those who would like updates about the campaign, arrive 30 minutes early as the leadership arrives early to discuss the happenings from the past week.

Saturday not a good day for you? No problem, just give the campaign a call and we will set up a time to meet people in the evenings for training sessions. Call Donna, one of our volunteer coordinators at (253) 209-7988.

Collect signatures any time during the week and get into the habit of turning in whatever you have collected each week so we know if we are meeting our weekly signature goal.

Petition sheets are available for pick-up at one of our locations around the city (all Purified Water To Go stores). Please do not make copies of the petition as it is really expensive to make color copies – we like our blue! Contact the campaign and we will be happy to provide the petitions. If you want a petition mailed to you, just call Donna and it will go out in the mail the same day you call as long as it is before 5:00 PM otherwise your request for petition sheets will be taken care of the next day.

Onward to the ballot!

Below is our current list of locations to pick-up petitions. Want to be added to the list? Please call Donna at (253) 209-7988.

All open on Saturdays – call for hours

Lincoln Hardware
3726 S G St • Tacoma (253) 472-1425
Purified Water To Go
5401 Sixth Ave K807 • Tacoma • Kathy (253) 752-1700
Tacoma Lamp Repair & Sales
1524 Tacoma Ave S • Tacoma • Sherry (253-640-1799)

The room holds 2,000 people. Public comments should be provided in written form by letter or Email.

Email comments to Ian Munce,  Principal Planner,  City of Tacoma
tacoma.methanol.sepa@cityoftacoma.org by March 1, 2016

Mail comments to 747 Market St., Suite 345, Tacoma, WA 98402

Sign up sheets for the Scoping Meeting will be available at 5:00 PM.

Arrive before 5:00 PM if you want to make a public comment as a line is expected – speakers will be called in the order of sign up. Speakers are allowed three minutes and public comments will begin at 6:30 PM.