SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5883

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

State & Local Government, March 5, 2001

Title:  An act relating to incorporating water supply and growth management planning.

Brief Description:  Incorporating water supply and growth management planning.

Sponsors:  Senators Patterson, Constantine, Kline, Fraser and Regala.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  State & Local Government:  2/22/01, 3/5/01 [DPS‑WM].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5883 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

Signed by Senators Patterson, Chair; Gardner, Hale, Kline, McCaslin, T. Sheldon and Swecker.

Staff:  Diane Smith (786‑7410)

Background:  The Growth Management Act (GMA) requires the Office of Financial Management (OFM) every five years to prepare 20-year population projections for each county planning under GMA.  The availability of water supplies for this projected growth, while theoretically ascertainable by reference to data compiled by the Department of Ecology (DOE) and other entities, may not be fully integrated into OFM=s methodology.  Likewise, data on the availability of water supply is information necessary for practical growth management planning.  Another source for this data is from public and private municipal water suppliers that must also provide the infrastructure to survey the water.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  DOE must use maximum effort to provide information it develops about water resources to OFM.  OFM must consider water availability considerations in population projections issued after July 1, 2001.

Counties and cities must ensure full consideration of water supplies as indicated by information from DOE, the Department of Health, and municipal water service providers.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  OFM must only consider, not incorporate, water availability in its population projections revised and issued after July 1, 2001.

Amendments to watershed  planning are eliminated.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  DOE needs to acknowledge that OFM=s 20-year growth forecast needs water.  The concept of the bill is good.  It would be good to require DOE to determine if existing water use is efficient.

Testimony Against:  This bill delegates to OFM and DOE the power to determine where growth occurs.  Growth following water is contrary to GMA principals.  Watershed planning occurs on a WIRA basis and does not necessarily follow political jurisdictions.  This will politicize the process.  The data required is difficult to assemble and outside OFM=s purview.

Testified:  Kathleen Collins, WA Water Policy Alliance (concerns); Jim Halstrom, Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties (con); Dave Williams, Assn. of WA Cities (pro); Steve Lindstrom, Sno-King Water District Coalition (pro).