Bill > SB5212

This bill addresses water rights adjudication in Water Resource Inventory Area 1 (WRIA 1), which covers Whatcom and Skagit counties, by allowing water users to file claims for precode (pre-existing) water uses similar to procedures established in the previous Yakima basin water rights adjudication. The legislation amends existing law to create a new provision that permits water users to file adjudication claim forms for groundwater and surface water uses even if they missed previous filing deadlines, specifically for the WRIA 1 adjudication filed after June 1, 2023. The bill ensures that such late-filed claims will be accepted but establishes important limitations: these claims will be subordinate to existing water rights issued through permits or certificates before the claim's filing date, water rights filed in the claims registry before July 27, 1997, and water rights based on federal law. The legislature's intent is to provide a fair process for water users who may have missed earlier filing opportunities, while also protecting pre-existing water rights, drawing from the experience of the Yakima basin adjudication process.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5212&Year=2025&Initiative=false