Water Smart Washington - Washington State Water Management Reform - Archive| Water Resources Program

Water Smart Washington Proposed Legislation

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is asking the 2011 Legislature for authority to reform and improve the way water resources are managed in Washington state for the benefit of current and future water users and the natural environment.

S SB 5536 Resource materials for stakeholder discussions

Washington State Map showing the total number of Water Right Claims, Certificates, Permits and Applications by WRIA January 2011
Statewide Water Rights Web Map - query and view data and documents relating to water rights and claims
Office of Regulatory Assistance (ORA) - Flow Charts
- New Water Right Permit Process
- Change Existing Water Right Permit Process
Focus on Alternatives for Water Right Application Processing
- Cost reimbursement process - text to describe four cost reimbursement flow paths
Water Conservancy Boards
Office of Financial Management - Fiscal Notes
- 5536 S SB Water resources management 02/25/2011
Water Resources Program Efficiency - October 20, 2010 presentations by Ann-Marie Sweeten and Jeff Marti, Water Resources Program

Agency-request bills:

HB 1610 (introduced by Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen) and SB 5536 (introduced by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Bainbridge Island) seek ways to secure a water-smart future for Washington state by making Ecology’s water management services more effective and efficient.

Regarding the management of water resources:

HB 1610 and S SB 5536 - Link to the Washington State Legislature web page for tracking HB 1610 and S SB 5536
Focus on Water Resources Reform Water Smart Washington Proposed Legislation

Modifying the Columbia river basin management program:

HB 1803 and SB 5647 - 02/02/2011 Link to the Washington State Legislature web page for tracking HB 1803 and SB 5647
Focus on Modifying the Columbia River Basin Management Program - Proposed Legislation

Legislative Hearings on TVW

House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee - 02/09/2011 TVW recording of the hearing for HB 1685, HB 1610, HB 1803
Senate Environment, Water and Energy Committee 02/09/2011 TVW recording of the hearing for SB 5536, SB 5647, SB 5555, SB 5350

News Release/Stories/Op-Ed

Reset state water policy to do more with less - 02/04/2011 Seattle Times Editorials/Opinion A torrent of water bills in Olympia includes legislation to improve water management in the state Department of Ecology to produce tighter, timelier oversight of water resources. Take advantage of the opportunity.
Ecology News Release - 02/03/2011 Ecology seeks authority to reform water management to meet challenges of declining water supplies

This is the archive of the September 2010 to April 2011 activities that surrounded the work on a bill during the 2011 Legislative session. This information will not be updated and is saved for reference.

The Washington Department of Ecology is working to reform its water management practices to meet increasing demands for water in a time of limited new water supplies.

Water Smart Washington Proposed Legislation

November 30, 2010 After months of deliberation, consultation with our stakeholders and legislators who are working with us to improve water resources management in Washington state, we have come to the conclusion that now is not the time to propose water management services fees in agency-request legislation for 2011.

Given the current economic climate, we don’t want this annual fee discussion to overwhelm the conversation about other significant water policy and cost-recovery reforms in our package because we know the status quo for water management isn’t working and needs to change.

That’s why we’re continuing the important conversation we’ve begun about reforming the water management system, fixing inefficient policies and finding a more reliable source of funding for the Water Resources Program. With this dialogue, we’re making the case that in order to protect our water supplies for present and future users, we must reduce our dependence on the State General Fund and find a more stable source of funding for our water management services.

We appreciate the comments and feedback you have given us in drafting water resources legislation for 2011 and look forward to your participation during the next few months in refining water management reforms. Ecology will continue to advocate for stable funding and describe the valuable services we provide water right holders, as well as the steps we are taking to make our water management programs and services more efficient.

2010 Report to the Legislature and Governor: Water Resources Program Functions and Funding Structure

News releases and news reports:

Comments on the report:

Ecology asked for and received comments through October 5, 2010. Comments received through that date are included in this report supplement to the Legislature and Governor:

Water Smart Washington Online Forum Ended October 11, 2010

After 6 weeks of questions, the Water Smart Washington Online Forum ended on October 12, 2010. Thank you to all that participated. All comments received during this forum are included in a report supplement to the Legislature and Governor.