HOUSE BILL REPORT

ESHB 1594

BYHouse Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development (originally sponsored by Representatives Rayburn, Sutherland, Vekich, R. King, Dellwo, Todd and Rasmussen; by request of Governor Gardner)

Providing for a water use efficiency study.

House Committe on Agriculture & Rural Development

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (14)

      Signed by Representatives Rayburn, Chair; Kremen, Vice Chair; Baugher, Bristow, Brooks, Chandler, Doty, Grant, Holm, R. King, McLean, Moyer, Nealey and Rasmussen.

House Staff:Kenneth Hirst (786-7105)

Rereferred House Committee on Ways & Means/Appropriations

Majority Report:  The substitute bill by Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (16)

      Signed by Signed by Representatives Locke, Chair; Brekke, Brough, Butterfield, Fuhrman, Grant, Grimm, Hine, Holland, Nealey, Peery, Sayan, Silver, H. Sommers, Spanel and Sprenkle.

House Staff:      Nancy Stevenson (786-7136)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 15, 1988

BACKGROUND:

In 1977, the Legislature authorized the issuance of $18 million in bonds for water supply facilities required to respond to a drought which was forecast to occur that year.  The monies from the sale of the bonds were deposited in the Emergency Water Projects Revolving Account and were appropriated to the Department of Ecology for agricultural water supply and distribution projects. In 1987, up to four million dollars of the monies reappropriated to the Department from the Account were authorized to be used to deliver water to previously irrigated lands to alleviate emergency water supply conditions in 1987.

SUMMARY:

The Water Research Center at Washington State University is directed to conduct a comprehensive study of water use efficiency and to evaluate means of achieving water use efficiency improvements.  Among the activities to be included in the study are: a review of initiatives in other states; a review of the recommendations of the Western Governors' Association; an identification of existing disincentives and potential incentives for improving the efficiency of water use; an estimation of the potential water savings and the costs of implementing various alternatives for improving water use efficiency; and recommendations concerning changes in laws, rules and programs.  No aspect of the study may authorize any interference with existing water rights.

The statutes creating the Emergency Water Projects Revolving Account are amended to permit the use of funds from the Account for conducting such a study.  $139,815 of the monies appropriated to the Department of Ecology for the current biennium from the Account are appropriated to the Center and dedicated to carrying out the study.  The funds may be used to hire personnel and to contract for necessary services.

An advisory committee is created to assist the Center in its study and the membership of the committee is outlined.  The Center must conduct public meetings concerning the study and its findings and must present preliminary findings and recommendations to the House and Senate agriculture committees.  A final report must be submitted to the House and Senate agriculture committees by December 30, 1988.  The advisory committee expires on December 31, 1988, and the provisions of the bill establishing the study and related reporting requirements expire on June 30, 1989.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):  The Senate amendments create a 27 member committee and assign the committee the task of conducting the water use efficiency study (rather than assigning that task to the Water Research Center).  The study is altered to include recommendations for a public education program and an evaluation of certain terminology.  The study is expressly not a water conservation study nor one encompassing all of the alternatives to storage for creating water availability.  The amendments prohibit the Department of Ecology from implementing recommendations until enabling legislation has been enacted.  Stricken from the bill is the appropriation of $139,815 (from monies currently appropriated to the Department) to the Center for the study.

Appropriation:    The sum of $139,815 of the funds currently appropriated to the Department of Ecology from the Emergency Water Projects Revolving Account is appropriated to Washington State University for use by the Water Research Center.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 25, 1988.

Effective Date:The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    (Agriculture & Rural Development)  Hedia Adelsman, Department of Ecology; Kahler Martinson, Department of Fisheries; and Elizabeth Tabbutt, Washington Environmental Council.

(Ways & Means/Appropriations)  Representative Margaret Rayburn, Prime sponsor.

House Committee - Testified Against:      (Agriculture & Rural Development)  John Kirner, Tacoma Department of Public Utilities.

(Ways & Means/Appropriations)  Hedia Adelsman, Department of Ecology.

House Committee - Testimony For:    (Agriculture & Rural Development)  (1) The trend is for less federal funding to be available for water supply projects.  This, coupled with difficulties in some areas with the environmental impacts of proposed projects, supports the need to examine water use efficiency and water conservation as a means of supplying new water for new uses, junior water users, and instream flows.  (2) The Western Governors' Association has found that western water law has inherent disincentives to using water efficiently.  Means of overcoming these aspects of current law need to be examined.

(Ways & Means/Appropriations)  The study is needed to determine long term solutions to water supply problems which in turn will alleviate drought problems.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      (Agriculture & Rural Development)  The study should contain an assessment of conservation needs for municipal construction and reconstruction, the availability of and demand for water, and the amount of water that can be expected to be saved through conservation.

(Ways & Means/Appropriations)  Supported the original bill.  Concerned with the Water Research Center performing the water efficiency study instead of the department since much of what will be reviewed is internal procedures regarding water rights.  Also concerned with membership of the advisory committee and that dollars are not appropriated to Ecology to work in conjunction with the Water Resource Center.

VOTE ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      Yeas; 94; Absent 1; Excused 3

Absent:     Representative Sommers H

Excused:    Representatives Scott, Smith C, Vekich