S-4506.3  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6525

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Environmental Quality & Water Resources (originally sponsored by Senators Fraser, Swecker, Jacobsen, Eide, McAuliffe and Gardner)

Read first time 02/04/2000.

Prioritizing the processing of applications for water rights changes and transfers.

    AN ACT Relating to prioritizing the processing of applications for water rights changes and transfers; adding a new section to chapter 90.03 RCW; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  In order to help reduce the current backlog of applications for changes or transfers of existing water rights, the legislature intends to allow the processing of applications for changes or transfers of existing water rights without regard to possible impairment of pending applications for new water rights and to confirm that the order in which applications are processed may be established administratively.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The legislature finds that information provided by the public helps to assure compliance with the requirements of current law that decisions on applications for changes or transfers of existing water rights must not impair existing water rights and must be in the public interest.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 90.03 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) Applications for changes or transfers of water rights may be processed and decisions on them rendered independently of pending applications for new water rights for the same source of supply and independently of any applications for other sources of supply, without regard to the date on which the applications were filed.  The order in which applications are processed and decisions on them rendered may continue to be established according to criteria adopted by rule.  For purposes of this section, "independently" refers both to the order of processing and to possible impairment of pending applications for new water rights.

    (2) For purposes of receiving public comment, notice of the commencement of processing of applications for changes or transfers of existing water rights includes publication on the department's web page, and any public comments received in the course of processing must be considered.

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