Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Rights topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill clarifying claim filings for Nooksack Basin water adjudication
Summary
Substitute Senate Bill 5,212, clarifying filing of claims and related participation in the Nooksack Basin water adjudication including groundwater claim filing, was reported out of committee after members said it would allow persons who could not previously file to now do so; the vote was 11 ayes, 0 nays.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee reported substitute Senate Bill 5,212 out of committee with a due-pass recommendation on March 21.
Committee staff said SB 5,212 deals with the filing of claims and related participation in the Nooksack Basin water adjudication. Representative Schmick described the bill as clarifying that parties in the Nooksack Valley who previously could not file a claim with the court would now be able to file because groundwater is included in the adjudication; "We've not done groundwater before. We've always done surface water," Schmick said, adding, "if I was a property owner up there and had this question before me, I would want this."
The committee held a voice vote; staff announced the result as 11 ayes, 0 nays, and 6 excused or absent. By that vote, SB 5,212 was reported out of committee with a due-pass recommendation.
The bill, as described by staff and members, clarifies claim-filing procedures and participation rights in the Nooksack Basin adjudication to account for groundwater claims where previously only surface water adjudications had been used.
