FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Nov. 17, 1999
99-243
CONTACT: Mary Getchell, Public Information Manager, 360-407-6157; pager, 360-534-8590
Peggy Clifford, Rules Coordinator, (360) 407-7262
OLYMPIA - Water conservancy boards established by counties now have the guidance and direction to help break the gridlock in processing applications to change existing water rights.
This week the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) adopted a rule to help county governments create water conservancy boards to process applications for changes to existing water rights. The rule defines how to set up and operate a board and provides operating guidelines and procedures.
"Processing water rights has been virtually at a standstill for too long -- frustrating both the public and Ecology," said Tom Fitzsimmons, Ecology’s director. "Conservancy boards, combined with local watershed management, provide a major step toward breaking the gridlock that is stifling water-rights processing."
In 1997, the Legislature passed a law authorizing county governments to establish conservancy boards to process changes to existing water rights, such as changing the purpose of use, the point of diversion or withdrawal, or the place where water is used. Previously, only Ecology could change a water right. However, under current state laws and regulations, Ecology must generally put applications for new water and for changes to existing water rights in the same pile for a particular area of the state - and process them on a first-come first-served basis.
"The conservancy board legislation is the first effort by the Legislature to treat water-right changes differently from requests for new water rights," Fitzsimmons said.
Approximately 6,800 water-right applications statewide are awaiting decisions. About one-quarter, or 1,600, of the applications are changes to existing water rights.
"In many parts of the state, there is very little water readily available that is not already in use," Fitzsimmons said. "The long-term answer to our state’s water availability problem is not solely processing water rights. The answers include buying existing rights, changing existing rights, reusing treated waste water, and conserving and storing water."
Fitzsimmons explained that conservancy boards are key to getting water to people while preserving water for fish.
Ecology has approved the formation of boards in Adams, Benton, Franklin, Grant, Klickitat, Lewis, Walla Walla and Yakima counties. The department also is reviewing requests for boards in Chelan and Thurston counties. Several other counties are considering establishing boards.
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