Whatcom County residential well users urged to file court claims before May 1, 2026 deadline

Whatcom County residential well users were urged to prepare and file court claim forms by May 1, 2026 so their historic and current water uses are included in the ongoing adjudication of Water Resources Inventory Area 1 (WIRA 1), presenters said at a county workshop.

"That's when your deadline is to file a court claim form," said Cara Coleman, the primary presenter from Aspect Consulting, which is under contract with Whatcom County Public Works to provide adjudication outreach and technical assistance.

The workshop explained why the adjudication matters: the Whatcom County Superior Court case will inventory water uses across the Nooksack Basin and adjacent areas, issue a priority schedule (oldest rights first) and, ultimately, produce adjudicated certificates the Washington State Department of Ecology records on property titles. Coleman said Ecology filed the case in May 2024 and sent summonses and court claim packets to potential claimants in March 2025.

The session focused on residential users who rely on the groundwater permit exemption in RCW 90.44.050. Coleman reviewed the permit-exempt limits that apply and noted there are two relevant sets of rules. Under the pre-2020 rule, an individual domestic use could claim up to…