H‑0252.1 _____________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 1865
_____________________________________________
State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By Representatives G. Chandler and Grant
Read first time 02/07/2001. Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Ecology.
_1 AN ACT Relating to irrigation districts acting as initiating
_2 governments for watershed planning; and amending RCW 90.82.060.
_3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
_4 Sec. 1. RCW 90.82.060 and 1998 c 247 s 2 are each amended to read
_5 as follows:
_6 (1) Planning conducted under this chapter must provide for a
_7 process to allow the local citizens within a WRIA or multi-WRIA
_8 area to join together in an effort to: (a) Assess the status of
_9 the water resources of their WRIA or multi-WRIA area; and (b)
10 determine how best to manage the water resources of the WRIA or
11 multi-WRIA area to balance the competing resource demands for that
12 area within the parameters under RCW 90.82.120.
13 (2) Watershed planning under this chapter may be initiated for
14 a WRIA only with the concurrence of: (a) All counties within the
15 WRIA; (b) the largest city or town within the WRIA unless the WRIA
16 does not contain a city or town; and (c) the water supply utility
17 obtaining the largest quantity of water from the WRIA. To apply for
18 a grant for organizing the planning unit as provided for under RCW
p. 1 HB 1865
_1 90.82.040(2)(a), these entities shall designate the entity that
_2 will serve as the lead agency for the planning effort and indicate
_3 how the planning unit will be staffed. As used in this subsection,
_4 a water supply utility does not mean an agency of the federal
_5 government. In the case of a water supply utility receiving water
_6 from an agency of the federal government, the water made available
_7 is water obtained by the water supply utility from the WRIA within
_8 which the water supply utility provides water to persons or other
_9 water users.
10 (3) Watershed planning under this chapter may be initiated for
11 a multi-WRIA area only with the concurrence of: (a) All counties
12 within the multi-WRIA area; (b) the largest city or town in each
13 WRIA unless the WRIA does not contain a city or town; and (c) the
14 water supply utility obtaining the largest quantity of water in
15 each WRIA.
16 (4) If entities in subsection (2) or (3) of this section decide
17 jointly and unanimously to proceed, they shall invite all tribes
18 with reservation lands within the management area.
19 (5) The entities in subsection (2) or (3) of this section,
20 including the tribes if they affirmatively accept the invitation,
21 constitute the initiating governments for the purposes of this
22 section.
23 (6) The organizing grant shall be used to organize the planning
24 unit and to determine the scope of the planning to be conducted.
25 In determining the scope of the planning activities, consideration
26 shall be given to all existing plans and related planning
27 activities. The scope of planning must include water quantity
28 elements as provided in RCW 90.82.070, and may include water
29 quality elements as contained in RCW 90.82.090, habitat elements
30 as contained in RCW 90.82.100, and instream flow elements as
31 contained in RCW 90.82.080. The initiating governments shall work
32 with state government, other local governments within the
33 management area, and affected tribal governments, in developing a
34 planning process. The initiating governments may hold public
35 meetings as deemed necessary to develop a proposed scope of work
36 and a proposed composition of the planning unit. In developing a
37 proposed composition of the planning unit, the initiating
HB 1865 p. 2
_1 governments shall provide for representation of a wide range of
_2 water resource interests.
_3 (7) Each state agency with regulatory or other interests in the
_4 WRIA or multi-WRIA area to be planned shall assist the local
_5 citizens in the planning effort to the greatest extent
_6 practicable, recognizing any fiscal limitations. In providing such
_7 technical assistance and to facilitate representation on the
_8 planning unit, state agencies may organize and agree upon their
_9 representation on the planning unit. Such technical assistance must
10 only be at the request of and to the extent desired by the
11 planning unit conducting such planning. The number of state agency
12 representatives on the planning unit shall be determined by the
13 initiating governments in consultation with the governor's office.
14 (8) As used in this section, "lead agency" means the entity
15 that coordinates staff support of its own or of other local
16 governments and receives grants for developing a watershed plan.
‑‑‑ END ‑‑‑
p. 3 HB 1865