S‑0513.3   _____________________________________________

SENATE BILL 5267

           _____________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senators Morton, West, Sheahan, Brown, Honeyford, McCaslin, Hewitt, Hochstatter, T. Sheldon and Hale

Read first time 01/17/2001.  Referred to Committee on Environment, Energy & Water.

_1      AN ACT Relating to water rights; creating new sections; making

_2  appropriations; and providing an expiration date.

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

_4      NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that the present

_5  backlog of water right permits is unacceptable and that it is

_6  essential to find a means for facilitating more expeditious water

_7  permit processing and eliminating the permit application backlog

_8  as soon as possible.

_9      The legislature therefore establishes a pilot water permit

10  process for the eastern regional office of the department of

11  ecology.

12      NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  (1) An application for a change or

13  transfer of an existing water right is to be processed without

14  regard for the potential impairment such a change or transfer

15  might have on any pending applications for new water rights for

16  the same source of supply.

17      (2) Applications for existing water rights may be processed and

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_1  decisions on them rendered independently of processing and

_2  rendering decisions on pending applications for new water rights

_3  within the same source of supply without regard to the date of

_4  filing of pending applications for new water rights.

_5      (3) This section applies only to water permit applications and

_6  water rights processed in the eastern regional office of the

_7  department.

_8      (4) This section expires July 31, 2003.

_9      NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  (1) The sum of one hundred sixty

10  thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is

11  appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, from the

12  general fund to the department of ecology.  The department must use

13  one-half of this sum for the processing of new water right

14  applications, and one-half of this sum for the processing of

15  existing water right applications for change or transfer.

16      (2) The sum of one hundred sixty thousand dollars, or as much

17  thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year

18  ending June 30, 2003, from the general fund to the department of

19  ecology.  The department must use one-half of this sum for the

20  processing of new water right applications, and one-half of this

21  sum for the processing of existing water right applications for

22  change or transfer.

‑‑‑ END ‑‑‑

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