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Department of Ecology News Release - July 25, 2005
05-182
After 50 years, fees increase for most water rights and storage projects
OLYMPIA - For the first time in more than half a century, the application
fees for issuing or changing water rights and water-storage projects increased
today.
The fees, last amended in 1951, were updated by the state legislature this
year.
Under the new law, 80 percent of the revenue generated by the water-right
fees will go into the state's general fund. The other 20 percent is earmarked
for Ecology to develop and manage a water-rights tracking system, including a
mapping system and database that will be accessible through the Internet.
The new fee structure will cover about 4 percent of Ecology's costs to
process water-right and water-storage applications.
"The old water-right fees were so far behind the times, they covered less
than 1 percent of the department's costs for processing the applications," said
Ken Slattery, who oversees Ecology's water-resources program. "While the new
fees still don't come close to covering the true cost of processing water-right
and storage applications, we at least will stop losing money by cashing very
small checks."
Changes to the fee structure include:
- Water-right certificates, from $5 to $50.
- Recording the assignment of a water-right permit to another party, from
$5 to $50.
- Applications for new
water rights and water-storage projects, from a minimum of $10 to a minimum of
$50. (The fee for a new water right will be $1 per one-hundredth cubic foot per
second (cfs). The fee for new storage projects will be $2 per acre-foot of
storage, up to a maximum of $25,000 for new large water-use and water-storage
projects.)
- Transferring, changing or amending an existing water-right
certificate, permit or claim or, from a minimum of $10 to a minimum of $50. The
fee will be assessed at 50 cents per one-hundredth cfs of water, to a maximum of
$12,500.
- Changing an existing water-storage project, from a minimum of $10 to
a minimum of $50. The assessment will be $1 for each acre-foot of water, to a
maximum of $12,500.
- Extending the amount of time to grow into a water right or
to complete a water-right change or transfer, from $5 a year to $50 for each
application.
- Temporary or seasonal water-right changes, from $10 to $50.
- A
new $50 filing fee to amend an existing water-right claim.
- Filing and
recording a formal protest against a water-right or water-storage application,
from $2 to $50. There is no fee required to submit a comment about an
application.
- Inspection fees for non-hydropower dams and reservoirs are based
on the actual cost of inspection, including expenses. The minimum fee for
examining plans for projects that store 10 or more acre-feet of water is at
least $10, or a fee equal to the actual cost of examination.
There also are a number of exemptions with the fee structure. No fees are
required for:
- Applications for emergency withdrawal authorizations or for temporary
drought-related water-right changes where a drought emergency is in effect.
- Donating or acquiring a water right for a water trust that benefits stream flows
or has other public benefits.
- Applications for water-right changes filed with
a water conservancy board or for Ecology's review of a conservancy board's
decision.
- Water-right acquisition, storage or change requests filed by a party
under a cost-reimbursement agreement entered into under state law.
- Storage
projects or reservoirs that are less than 10 years old provided Ecology has
already examined and approved the construction plans. For high-hazard dams that
are older than 10 years but less than 20 years and had plans approved by the
department, Ecology cannot charge an inspection fee more than that for a
significant-hazard dam.
The fees are payable by check or money order. Ecology cannot accept cash, and
all fees must be collected prior to any requested action. None of the fees are
refundable.
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For more information:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0511018.html
Contact: Curt Hart, public information manager, 360-407-7139; pager,
360-971-9610
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