City of Moxee Wellhead Protection Plan

The City of Moxee is located in Yakima County in central Washington approximately 5 miles east of the City of Yakima. The City owns and operates 2 wells:
  • Well Number 1 was drilled in 1942, redrilled in 1983, and pumps 550 gallons per minute
  • Well Number 2 was drilled in 1980 and also pumps 550 gallons per minute
The City has total certified water rights in the amount of 419 acre-feet and total certified and claimed rights in the amount of 2,109 acre-feet. The City’s sources have historically provided high quality water.

Wellhead Protection Area Delineations
The City's wellhead protection areas (WHPA) were delineated using an analytical model. The following table summarizes the acreage covered by each WHPAs.

Analytical Model Area (Acres

Source 6-Month 1-Year 5-Year  
Well Number 1
 11.9 22.7 105.3 208.0
Well Number 2
 5.2 10.2 44.5 93.5

Inventory of Potential Contamination Sources


View the WHPAs and Potential Contaminant Sources (PDF) for more information.

After delineating the WHPAs associated with the City’s wells, an inventory of existing and potential sources of groundwater contamination was compiled and mapped. High risk potential contamination sources located near the City's wells include 2 underground storage tanks and agricultural land which may be susceptible to pesticide use.

Contingency Plan 


The City's contingency plan consists of the following components:
  1. Susceptibility Assessments: The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has ranked both City's wells as having a low susceptibility to contamination.
  2. Source Deficiencies: The City can currently meet the system maximum day demand with all sources in service as required by the DOH. However, if either well becomes contaminated, the City cannot meet its maximum day demand by approximately 125 gallons per minute. The City plans to drill a well in the next 20 years to provide for additional source redundancy and source capacity.
  3. Emergency Response: The City has developed an emergency response plan that includes an emergency call-up list and response procedures for spills, fires, and water supply contamination.
  4. Short-term and Long-term Water Supplies: Because the distance to the nearest potable water systems (City of Yakima and Yakima County Terrace Heights) is considerable, bottled water or tanker trucks in conjunction with water conservation/watering restrictions is the most appropriate short-term alternative water supply. New source development and groundwater remediation are the most appropriate long-term alternatives.

Local Management Plan

Local management efforts adopted by the City include:
  • Posting of street signs at wellhead protection area boundaries
  • An annual school seminar program to promote wellhead protection and water education
  • Distribution of literature
  • Notification of residences and businesses within the City's wellhead protection areas
Regional management efforts can be found by viewing the Regional Management Plan page.