Panel Oks County Control Over Water Rights
The state has a backlog of 4,700 applications for water rights, but a lack of water isn’t the problem, a Republican lawmaker said Monday.
“We don’t have a water shortage problem. We have a water allocation problem,” said Rep. Gary Chandler, R-Moses Lake, chairman of the House Agriculture and Ecology Committee.
Chandler’s committee approved six bills Monday that would take on what he sees as the culprit: too much control by state agencies.
“Who better to plan and be concerned about the quality of the water than the people who live there?” said Rep. John Koster, R-Arlington.
The most ambitious proposal would give counties authority in determining how to use local water resources. Another bill would allow people who conserve water to use any surplus on other parcels of land, instead of losing it to the state.
A third measure would let people currently using water without a permit obtain one without penalty.
The Department of Ecology blames the backlog of water claims on a lack of money and staff.
Lawmakers wrestled with water rights issues extensively during last year’s five-month session, but failed to reach agreement on any major proposals. There may be only a slim chance for compromise this year, with the Legislature already in the second week of a 60-day session.
The proposal would still have Ecology grant water permits, but would take away the agency’s authority over the planning process.
Critics agree that local control is the best way to achieve sound watershed planning. But they want the state to keep an oversight role.
Sierra Club lobbyist Bruce Wishart said fish runs could suffer if planning doesn’t take in the wider view.
“Unfortunately, the direction the committee has taken is to favor economic interests instead of salmon,” Wishart said.
xxxx BILLS ADVANCE The six water rights bills approved Monday by the House Agriculture and Ecology Committee: HB2198 Opens a new 10-month period for filing of water rights claims. HB2199 Allows people who started using water for irrigation or stock watering without a permit before 1993 to obtain permits without penalty. HB2200 Grants authority for watershed planning to counties. HB2201 Allows water rights holders to channel extra water to other parcels of land, instead of having that water revert to state ownership. HB2202 Allows property owners along Lake Washington to use lake water to irrigate their lawns, unless that would hurt local fish runs. HB2203 Defines when ground water from wells should be considered interconnected with rivers or lakes.