Department of Ecology News Release - August 29, 2001 01-147

Proposed rule focuses on improving the way people measure water use

OLYMPIA - Getting a handle on how best to measure the amount of water used by farmers, cities, businesses and others is the focus of a proposed regulation.

A court order required the Department of Ecology to adopt a measuring rule to provide guidance on measuring water use for people, businesses, and cities with water rights.

Key elements of the proposed rule include up-to-date technical direction on how to effectively and efficiently measure water, specific identification of who must measure their water use, and data collection and reporting requirements.

Ecology staff will provide further information and people may ask questions and provide comments on the proposed rule at public hearings that begin at 7 p.m.

• Tacoma Sept. 4, Tacoma Public Utilities Auditorium, 3628 S. 35th St.
• Bellingham Sept. 5, Whatcom Co. Courthouse, Council Chambers, 311 Grand Ave.
• Walla Walla Sept. 11, Walla Walla Airport, Community Mtg. Room, exit off Hwy. 12
• Yakima Sept. 12, Davis High School, Kiva Rm., 212 6th Ave.
• Wenatchee Sept. 13, Chelan Co. PUD Auditorium, 327 N. Wenatchee Ave.
• Sequim Sept. 17, Guy Cole Convention Center, Carrie Blake Park

"To effectively manage water supplies we've got to know how water is actually being used," said Joe Stohr, program manager for Ecology's water resources program. "With this knowledge, we can better protect people's water rights and help ensure there is water available for fish."

Stohr emphasized that currently the Department of Ecology has no intention of requiring people with small, individual water wells to measure their use.

The court also ordered Ecology to ensure major water users, such as public utilities and large irrigation districts, measure the amount of water they use. Approximately 900 major water users in the 16 watershed areas of the state that have limited amounts of available water and streams with fish at risk of becoming extinct need to measure their water use by December 2002.

Those areas include Cedar/Sammamish, Chambers/Clover, Duwamish/Green, Elwha/Dungeness, Lower Yakima, Methow, Middle Snake, Naches, Nooksack, Okanogan, Puyallup/White, Quilcene/Snow, Snohomish, Upper Yakima, Walla Walla and Wenatchee.

People may get more information about the rule and view the proposal on the Internet at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/wrhome.html. People may also send written comments on the proposed rule to Jeff Marti, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, Wash., 98504-7600, through Sept. 24.

This page created and maintained by Chehalis River Council
Send comments or questions to the: Chehalis River Council