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Bill would let unregistered pre‑code water users file claims in WIRA‑1 adjudication
Summary
Senate Bill 5212 would allow persons filing adjudication claims in the WIRA‑1 (Whatcom County) water‑rights adjudication after June 1, 2023 to satisfy earlier statutory statement‑of‑claim filing requirements, enabling some pre‑code users to participate in court adjudication.
The committee heard testimony Jan. 16 on Senate Bill 5212, which would modify claim‑filing requirements for the water‑rights adjudication filed by the Department of Ecology in Water Resource Inventory Area 1 (WIRA‑1) in Whatcom County.
Staff summarized the background: Washington’s surface‑water (1917) and groundwater (1945) codes created permit systems; the Claims Registration Act created statutory periods when users filed statements of claim. Ecology filed a general water‑rights adjudication for WIRA‑1 in Whatcom County on May 1, 2024. Under current statutes, a failure to file a…
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