H-2032.1  _______________________________________________

                 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 4407

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State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Representatives Clements, Chandler and Honeyford

Read first time 02/20/97.  Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Ecology.

Creating a joint select committee on Yakima Valley water storage.

    WHEREAS, Water supplies available for various water users and uses in the lower Yakima Valley are less than water demands during critical months in water-short years yet a natural oversupply in other months causes flooding in the valley; and

    WHEREAS, The shortage in availability is evidenced by proratable water users being delivered only a portion of their normal supply of water during the water-short years; and

    WHEREAS, The general adjudication of water rights currently being conducted in the Yakima basin will identify who has rights to water, the amounts they are entitled to, and the order of priority of the rights, but it will not supply any additional water to the basin; and

    WHEREAS, Finding ways to control flooding while providing additional water for irrigation, municipal and other out-of-stream uses, and for fisheries and other in-stream uses is essential to the future of the lower Yakima basin; and

    WHEREAS, Flood control and water storage enhancements in the lower Yakima basin are means of providing these objectives;

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the Senate of the state of Washington, the House of Representatives concurring, That a joint select committee on Yakima Valley water storage be established to examine means of increasing existing water storage in Bumping Lake and of creating new water storage in Pine Hollow and other areas of Yakima county; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the joint select committee consist of six members with three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, two from the majority party caucus and one from the minority party caucus in the House of Representatives, and three members appointed by the President of the Senate, two from the majority party caucus and one from the minority party caucus in the Senate, and that the members of the joint select committee select cochairs of the committee, one from the House of Representatives and one from the Senate; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That staff support for the joint select committee be provided by the office of program research of the House of Representatives and Senate committee services; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the joint select committee report its recommendations to the legislature by December 1, 1997.

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