H‑1045.1   _____________________________________________

 

HOUSE BILL 2078

 

           _____________________________________________

 

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Haigh, G. Chandler, Rockefeller, Woods and Delvin

 

Read first time 02/14/2001.  Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Ecology.

_1      AN ACT Relating to eliminating certain restrictions on water

_2  system interties; and amending RCW 90.03.383.

     

_3  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

     

_4      Sec. 1.  RCW 90.03.383 and 1991 c 350 s 1 are each amended to read

_5  as follows:

_6      (1) The legislature recognizes the value of interties for

_7  improving the reliability of public water systems, enhancing their

_8  management, and more efficiently utilizing the increasingly

_9  limited resource.  Given the continued growth in the most populous

10  areas of the state, the increased complexity of public water

11  supply management, and the trend toward regional planning and

12  regional solutions to resource issues, interconnections of public

13  water systems through interties provide a valuable tool to ensure

14  reliable public water supplies for the citizens of the state.

15  Public water systems have been encouraged in the past to utilize

16  interties to achieve public health and resource management

17  objectives.  The legislature finds that it is in the public interest

18  to recognize interties existing and in use as of January 1, 1991,

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_1  and to have associated water rights modified by the department of

_2  ecology to reflect current use of water through those interties,

_3  pursuant to subsection (3) of this section.  The legislature further

_4  finds it in the public interest to develop a coordinated process

_5  to review proposals for interties commencing use after January 1,

_6  1991.

_7      (2) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions

_8  shall apply:

_9      (a) "Interties" are interconnections between public water

10  systems permitting exchange or delivery of water between those

11  systems for other than emergency supply purposes, where such

12  exchange or delivery is within established instantaneous and

13  annual withdrawal rates specified in the systems' existing water

14  right permits or certificates, or contained in claims filed

15  pursuant to chapter 90.14 RCW, and which results in better

16  management of public water supply consistent with existing rights

17  and obligations.  Interties include interconnections between public

18  water systems permitting exchange or delivery of water to serve as

19  primary or secondary sources of supply((, but do not include

20  development of new sources of supply to meet future demand)).

21      (b) "Service area" is the area designated in a water system

22  plan or a coordinated water system plan pursuant to chapter 43.20

23  or 70.116 RCW respectively.  When a public water system does not

24  have a designated service area subject to the approval process of

25  those chapters, the service area shall be the designated place of

26  use contained in the water right permit or certificate, or

27  contained in the claim filed pursuant to chapter 90.14 RCW.

28      (3) Public water systems with interties existing and in use as

29  of January 1, 1991, or that have received written approval from

30  the department of health prior to that date, shall file written

31  notice of those interties with the department of health and the

32  department of ecology.  The notice may be incorporated into the

33  public water system's five-year update of its water system plan,

34  but shall be filed no later than June 30, 1996.  The notice shall

35  identify the location of the intertie; the dates of its first use;

36  the purpose, capacity, and current use; the intertie agreement of

37  the parties and the service areas assigned; and other information

38  reasonably necessary to modify the water right permit.

HB 2078                        p. 2

_1  Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 90.03.380 and 90.44.100, for

_2  public water systems with interties existing and in use as of

_3  January 1, 1991, the department of ecology, upon receipt of notice

_4  meeting the requirements of this subsection, shall, as soon as

_5  practicable, modify the place of use descriptions in the water

_6  right permits, certificates, or claims to reflect the actual use

_7  through such interties, provided that the place of use is within

_8  service area designations established in a water system plan

_9  approved pursuant to chapter 43.20 RCW, or a coordinated water

10  system plan approved pursuant to chapter 70.116 RCW, and further

11  provided that the water used is within the instantaneous and

12  annual withdrawal rates specified in the water right permit and

13  that no outstanding complaints of impairment to existing water

14  rights have been filed with the department of ecology prior to

15  September 1, 1991.  Where such complaints of impairment have been

16  received, the department of ecology shall make all reasonable

17  efforts to resolve them in a timely manner through agreement of

18  the parties or through available administrative remedies.

19      (4) Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 90.03.380 and

20  90.44.100, exchange or delivery of water through interties

21  commencing use after January 1, 1991, shall be permitted when the

22  intertie improves overall system reliability, enhances the

23  manageability of the systems, provides opportunities for

24  conjunctive use, or delays or avoids the need to develop new water

25  sources, and otherwise meets the requirements of this section,

26  provided that each public water system's water use shall not

27  exceed the instantaneous or annual withdrawal rate specified in

28  its water right authorization, shall not adversely affect existing

29  water rights, and shall not be inconsistent with state-approved

30  plans such as water system plans or other plans which include

31  specific proposals for construction of interties.  Interties

32  commencing use after January 1, 1991, shall not be inconsistent

33  with regional water resource plans developed pursuant to chapter

34  90.54 RCW.

35      (5) For public water systems subject to the approval process of

36  chapter 43.20 RCW or chapter 70.116 RCW, proposals for interties

37  commencing use after January 1, 1991, shall be incorporated into

38  water system plans pursuant to chapter 43.20 RCW or coordinated

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_1  water system plans pursuant to chapter 70.116 RCW and submitted to

_2  the department of health and the department of ecology for review

_3  and approval as provided for in subsections (5) through (9) of

_4  this section.  The plan shall state how the proposed intertie will

_5  improve overall system reliability, enhance the manageability of

_6  the systems, provide opportunities for conjunctive use, or delay

_7  or avoid the need to develop new water sources.

_8      (6) The department of health shall be responsible for review

_9  and approval of proposals for new interties.  In its review the

10  department of health shall determine whether the intertie

11  satisfies the criteria of subsection (4) of this section, with the

12  exception of water rights considerations, which are the

13  responsibility of the department of ecology, and shall determine

14  whether the intertie is necessary to address emergent public

15  health or safety concerns associated with public water supply.

16      (7) If the intertie is determined by the department of health

17  to be necessary to address emergent public health or safety

18  concerns associated with public water supply, the public water

19  system shall amend its water system plan as required and shall

20  file an application with the department of ecology to change its

21  existing water right to reflect the proposed use of the water as

22  described in the approved water system plan.  The department of

23  ecology shall process the application for change pursuant to RCW

24  90.03.380 or 90.44.100 as appropriate, except that,

25  notwithstanding the requirements of those sections regarding

26  notice and protest periods, applicants shall be required to

27  publish notice one time, and the comment period shall be fifteen

28  days from the date of publication of the notice.  Within sixty days

29  of receiving the application, the department of ecology shall

30  issue findings and advise the department of health if existing

31  water rights are determined to be adversely affected.  If no

32  determination is provided by the department of ecology within the

33  sixty-day period, the department of health shall proceed as if

34  existing rights are not adversely affected by the proposed

35  intertie.  The department of ecology may obtain an extension of the

36  sixty-day period by submitting written notice to the department of

37  health and to the applicant indicating a definite date by which

HB 2078                        p. 4

_1  its determination will be made.  No additional extensions shall be

_2  granted, and in no event shall the total review period for the

_3  department of ecology exceed one hundred eighty days.

_4      (8) If the department of health determines the proposed

_5  intertie appears to meet the requirements of subsection (4) of

_6  this section but is not necessary to address emergent public

_7  health or safety concerns associated with public water supply, the

_8  department of health shall instruct the applicant to submit to the

_9  department of ecology an application for change to the underlying

10  water right or claim as necessary to reflect the new place of

11  use.  The department of ecology shall consider the applications

12  pursuant to the provisions of RCW 90.03.380 and 90.44.100 as

13  appropriate.  If in its review of proposed interties and associated

14  water rights the department of ecology determines that additional

15  information is required to act on the application, the department

16  may request applicants to provide information necessary for its

17  decision, consistent with agency rules and written

18  guidelines.  Parties disagreeing with the decision of the department

19  of ecology on the application for change in place of use may

20  appeal the decision to the pollution control hearings board.

21      (9) The department of health may approve plans containing

22  intertie proposals prior to the department of ecology's decision

23  on the water right application for change in place of use.

24  However, notwithstanding such approval, construction work on the

25  intertie shall not begin until the department of ecology issues

26  the appropriate water right document to the applicant consistent

27  with the approved plan.

 

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