H-1415.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1813

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Representatives Reardon, Linville, Stensen, Koster, Anderson, Wood, Cooper and Grant

Read first time 02/08/1999.  Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Ecology.

Allowing applications for transfers, changes, and amendments to existing rights to be given processing priority.

    AN ACT Relating to applications for water rights; and adding a new section to chapter 90.03 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 90.03 RCW to read as follows:

    The department is authorized to process and render decisions on applications for change or transfer under this chapter and amendments of ground water rights under chapter 90.44 RCW as a matter of higher priority than processing and rendering decisions on applications for new water rights.  Any application for a new water right for which a permit decision has not been made by the department at the time a transfer, change, or amendment is approved shall not be considered an existing water right subject to analysis as to whether the application may be injured, impaired, or detrimentally affected by the transfer or change.

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