Town of Steilacoom v. Thompson

Finding a just balance between public benefit and private detriment constitutes one of the great functions of our judicial system. This is such a case.

Steilacoom, a community of the fourth class in Pierce County, lies on a side hill in a natural basin which drains down to Puget Sound. Water from areas outside the corporate limits filters through the town above and below the surface. The town adopted plans for, issued revenue bonds to finance, and began construction of a sanitary sewer system including a sewage treatment plant of sufficient capacity to accommodate the whole town and a large…