_______________________________________________

                                ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 4418

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Agriculture (originally sponsored by Senator Hansen)

Read first time 2/7/86.

AN ACT Relating to irrigation; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     (1) The legislature finds that:

          (a) The wise management and utilization of the state's water resources is in the best interests of the citizens of the state of Washington;

          (b) Long-term planning of water uses and water supply projects is necessary to assure our state's water resources will be managed and utilized with the vision to maximize long-term benefits to assure that long-term opportunities are not permanently lost based on short-term conditions;

          (c) It is the policy of the state to join with federal agencies and others in developing economically feasible, environmentally sound, and water conservation oriented facilities; and

          (d) The state is participating in studies now being conducted by the federal government through the bureau of reclamation in the Yakima river and Columbia river basins for the purpose of determining plans for the proper development and utilization of the state's water resources under sound financing arrangements.

          (2) It is the intent of the legislature that additional information be developed on future agricultural needs for water so that these needs will be recognized as planning for the use of water resources proceeds.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) The director of the department of agriculture shall organize a committee to conduct a study on water supply availability to meet future agricultural needs.  The study shall include the following:

          (a) An examination of the potential for expansion of irrigated land in the state;

          (b) An evaluation of the alternatives that are available to renew water rights reserved to maintain future options to expand the production of food; and

          (c) A review of areas in the state in which available water and irrigable land both exist that have a reasonable potential for food production to meet growing demand for food in coming decades.

          (2) The report shall be submitted to the governor and the legislature by January 1, 1987.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The director of the department of ecology shall:

          (1) Continue to participate with the federal government in its studies of the Yakima enhancement project and of options for future development of the second half of the Columbia basin project;

          (2) Vigorously represent the state's interest in said studies, particularly as relates to protection of existing water rights and to resolve conflicts over water in basins that are currently undergoing a court adjudication of water rights and propose means of resolving the conflict without affecting users of water who depend on the utilization of their water for their livelihood.