2SHB 2860 -
By Representative Grant
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The legislature finds that a key
priority of water resource management in the Columbia river basin is
the development of new water supplies that includes storage and
conservation in order to meet the economic and community development
needs of people and the instream flow needs of fish.
(2) The legislature therefore declares that a Columbia river basin
water supply development program is needed, and directs the department
of ecology to aggressively pursue the development of water supplies to
benefit both instream and out-of-stream uses.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 (1) The Columbia river basin water supply
development account is created in the state treasury. The account may
receive direct appropriations from the legislature, receipts of any
funds pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of this act, or funds from any other
sources.
(2)(a) Expenditures from the Columbia river basin water supply
development account may be used to assess, plan, and develop new
storage, improve or alter operations of existing storage facilities,
implement conservation projects, or any other actions designed to
provide access to new water supplies within the Columbia river basin
for both instream and out-of-stream uses. Except for the development
of new storage projects, there shall be no expenditures from this
account for water acquisition or transfers from one water resource
inventory area to another without specific legislative authority.
(b) Two-thirds of the funds placed in the account shall be used to
support the development of new storage facilities; the remaining one-third shall be used for the other purposes listed in this section.
(3)(a) Funds may not be expended from this account for the
construction of a new storage facility until the department of ecology
evaluates the following:
(i) Water uses to be served by the facility;
(ii) The quantity of water necessary to meet those uses;
(iii) The benefits and costs to the state of meeting those uses,
including short-term and long-term economic, cultural, and
environmental effects; and
(iv) Alternative means of supplying water to meet those uses,
including the costs of those alternatives and an analysis of the extent
to which long-term water supply needs can be met using these
alternatives.
(b) The department of ecology may rely on studies and information
developed through compliance with other state and federal permit
requirements and other sources. The department shall compile its
findings and conclusions, and provide a summary of the information it
reviewed.
(c) Before finalizing its evaluation under the provisions of this
section, the department of ecology shall make the preliminary
evaluation available to the public. Public comment may be made to the
department within thirty days of the date the preliminary evaluation is
made public.
(4) Net water savings achieved through conservation measures funded
by the account shall be placed in trust in proportion to the state
funding provided to implement a project.
(5) Net water savings achieved through conservation measures funded
by the account developed within the boundaries of the federal Columbia
river reclamation project and directed to the Odessa subarea to reduce
the use of ground water for existing irrigation is exempt from the
provisions of subsection (4) of this section.
(6) Moneys in the Columbia river basin water supply development
account created in this section may be spent only after appropriation.
(7) Interest earned by deposits in the account will be retained in
the account.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 (1)(a) Water supplies secured through the
development of new storage facilities made possible with funding from
the Columbia river basin water supply development account shall be
allocated as follows:
(i) Two-thirds of active storage shall be available for
appropriation for out-of-stream uses; and
(ii) One-third of active storage shall be available to augment
instream flows and shall be managed by the department of ecology. The
timing of releases of this water shall be determined by the department
of ecology, in cooperation with the department of fish and wildlife and
fisheries comanagers, to maximize benefits to salmon and steelhead
populations.
(b) Water available for appropriation under (a)(i) of this
subsection but not yet appropriated shall be temporarily available to
augment instream flows to the extent that it does not impair existing
water rights.
(2) Water developed under the provisions of this section to offset
out-of-stream uses and for instream flows is deemed adequate mitigation
for the issuance of new water rights provided for in subsection (1)(a)
of this section and satisfies all consultation requirements under state
law related to the issuance of new water rights.
(3) The department of ecology shall focus its efforts to develop
water supplies for the Columbia river basin on the following needs:
(a) Alternatives to ground water for agricultural users in the
Odessa subarea aquifer;
(b) Sources of water supply for pending water right applications;
(c) A new uninterruptible supply of water for the holders of
interruptible water rights on the Columbia river mainstem that are
subject to instream flows or other mitigation conditions to protect
stream flows; and
(d) New municipal, domestic, industrial, and irrigation water needs
within the Columbia river basin.
(4) The one-third/two-thirds allocation of water resources between
instream and out-of-stream uses established in this section does not
apply to applications for changes or transfers of existing water rights
in the Columbia river basin.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 (1) The department of ecology may enter into
voluntary regional agreements for the purpose of providing new water
for out-of-stream use, streamlining the application process, and
protecting instream flow.
(2) Such agreements shall ensure that:
(a) For water rights issued from the Columbia river mainstem, there
is no negative impact on Columbia river mainstem instream flows in the
months of July and August as a result of the new appropriations issued
under the agreement;
(b) For water rights issued from the lower Snake river mainstem,
there is no negative impact on Snake river mainstem instream flows from
April through August as a result of the new appropriations issued under
the agreement; and
(c) Efforts are made to harmonize such agreements with watershed
plans adopted under the authority of chapter 90.82 RCW that are
applicable to the area covered by the agreement.
(3) The protection of instream flow as set forth in subsection (2)
of this section is adequate for purposes of mitigating instream flow
impacts resulting from any appropriations for out-of-stream use made
under a voluntary regional agreement, and the only applicable
consultation provisions under state law regarding instream flow impacts
shall be those set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
(4) Before executing a voluntary agreement under this section, the
department of ecology shall:
(a) Provide a sixty-day period for consultation with county
legislative authorities and watershed planning groups with jurisdiction
over the area where the water rights included in the agreement are
located, the department of fish and wildlife, and affected tribal
governments, and federal agencies. The department of fish and wildlife
shall provide written comments within that time period. The
consultation process for voluntary regional agreements developed under
the provisions of this section is deemed adequate for the issuance of
new water rights provided for in this section and satisfies all
consultation requirements under state law related to the issuance of
new water rights; and
(b) Provide a thirty-day public review and comment period for a
draft agreement, and publish a summary of any public comments received.
The thirty-day review period shall not begin until after the department
of ecology has concluded its consultation under (a) of this subsection
and the comments that have been received by the department are made
available to the public.
(5) The provisions of subsection (4) of this section satisfy all
applicable consultation requirements under state law.
(6) The provisions of this section and any voluntary regional
agreements developed under such provisions may not be relied upon by
the department of ecology as a precedent, standard, or model that must
be followed in any other voluntary regional agreements.
(7) Nothing in this section may be interpreted or administered in
a manner that precludes the processing of water right applications
under chapter 90.03 or 90.44 RCW that are not included in a voluntary
regional agreement.
(8) Nothing in this section may be interpreted or administered in
a manner that impairs or diminishes a valid water right or a habitat
conservation plan approved for purposes of compliance with the federal
endangered species act.
(9) The department of ecology shall monitor and evaluate the water
allocated to instream and out-of-stream uses under this section,
evaluate the program, and provide an interim report to the appropriate
committees of the legislature by June 30, 2008. A final report shall
be provided to the appropriate committees of the legislature by June
30, 2011.
(10) If the department of ecology executes a voluntary agreement
under this section that includes water rights appropriated from the
lower Snake river mainstem, the department shall develop aggregate data
in accordance with the provisions of section 6 of this act for the
lower Snake river mainstem.
(11) Any agreement entered into under this section shall remain in
full force and effect through the term of the agreement regardless of
the expiration of this section.
(12) The definitions in this subsection apply to this section and
section 6 of this act, and may only be used for purposes of
implementing these sections.
(a) "Columbia river mainstem" means all water in the Columbia river
within the ordinary high water mark of the main channel of the Columbia
river between the border of the United States and Canada and the
Bonneville dam, and all ground water within one mile of the high water
mark.
(b) "Lower Snake river mainstem" means all water in the lower Snake
river within the ordinary high water mark of the main channel of the
lower Snake river from the head of Ice Harbor pool to the confluence of
the Snake and Columbia rivers, and all ground water within one mile of
the high water mark.
(13) This section expires June 30, 2012.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 (1) To support the development of new water
supplies in the Columbia river and to protect instream flow, the
department of ecology shall work with all interested parties, including
interested county legislative authorities and watershed planning
groups, adjacent to the Columbia river, and affected tribal
governments, to develop a Columbia river water supply inventory and a
long-term water supply and demand forecast. The inventory must
include:
(a) A list of conservation projects that have been implemented
under this chapter and the amount of water conservation they have
achieved; and
(b) A list of potential water supply and storage projects in the
Columbia river basin, including estimates of:
(i) Cost per acre-foot;
(ii) Benefit to fish and other instream needs;
(iii) Benefit to out-of-stream needs; and
(iv) Environmental and cultural impacts.
(2) The department of ecology shall complete the first Columbia
river water supply inventory by November 15, 2006, and shall update the
inventory annually thereafter.
(3) The department of ecology shall complete the first Columbia
river long-term water supply and demand forecast by November 15, 2006,
and shall update the report every five years thereafter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 (1) In order to better understand current
water use and instream flows in the Columbia river mainstem, the
department of ecology shall establish and maintain a Columbia river
mainstem water resources information system that provides the
information necessary for effective mainstem water resource planning
and management.
(2) To accomplish the objective in subsection (1) of this section,
the department of ecology shall use information compiled by existing
local watershed planning groups, federal agencies, the Bonneville power
administration, irrigation districts, conservation districts in the
basin, and other available sources. The information shall include:
(a) The total aggregate quantity of water rights issued under state
permits and certificates and filed under state claims on the Columbia
river mainstem and for ground water within one mile of the mainstem;
and
(b) The total aggregate volume of current water use under these
rights as metered and reported by water users under current law.
(3) The department of ecology shall publish the aggregate data on
the department's web site no later than June 30, 2009, and shall
periodically update the data.
(4) For purposes of this section, the definition of Columbia river
mainstem in section 4(12) of this act shall apply and the use of the
definition is solely limited to the purpose of collecting data to meet
the information requirements of this section.
Sec. 7 2005 c 488 s 332 (uncodified) is amended to read as
follows:
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY
Columbia River Initiative (06-2-010)
The appropriation in this section is subject to the following
conditions and limitations:
(1) $6,000,000 is provided solely for feasibility studies related
to off-mainstem storage projects and impacts of changing operations at
the Potholes reservoir, and grant funding for the purchase and
installation of water measuring devices.
(2) Of the amount appropriated in this section, $10,000,000 ((may
not be expended prior to enactment of state legislation that
establishes the policy requirements for a new water resources and water
rights management program for the Columbia river mainstem. If such
legislation is not enacted prior to June 30, 2006, this amount shall
lapse)) is provided to begin implementation of the Columbia river basin
water supply development program in sections 2 through 6 of this act.
Within this amount, the department shall support, to the extent that
projects are ready to proceed and to the extent that resources allow,
the following water supply projects, including, but not limited to:
Storage development or storage enhancement projects, projects that
provide surface water supply for the Odessa subarea within the
boundaries of the Columbia basin federal reclamation project, projects
that enhance water supplies for the Walla Walla and Yakima rivers
through exchanges and other methods, and investments resulting in water
use efficiency. The department shall report progress under this
section to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1,
2006.
Appropriation:
State Building Construction Account--State . . . . . . . . . . . . $16,000,000
Prior Biennia (Expenditures) . . . . . . . . . . . . $0
Future Biennia (Projected Costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . $52,610,000
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . $68,610,000
Sec. 8 RCW 43.84.092 and 2005 c 514 s 1106, 2005 c 353 s 4, 2005
c 339 s 23, 2005 c 314 s 110, 2005 c 312 s 8, and 2005 c 94 s 2 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) All earnings of investments of surplus balances in the state
treasury shall be deposited to the treasury income account, which
account is hereby established in the state treasury.
(2) The treasury income account shall be utilized to pay or receive
funds associated with federal programs as required by the federal cash
management improvement act of 1990. The treasury income account is
subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is
required for refunds or allocations of interest earnings required by
the cash management improvement act. Refunds of interest to the
federal treasury required under the cash management improvement act
fall under RCW 43.88.180 and shall not require appropriation. The
office of financial management shall determine the amounts due to or
from the federal government pursuant to the cash management improvement
act. The office of financial management may direct transfers of funds
between accounts as deemed necessary to implement the provisions of the
cash management improvement act, and this subsection. Refunds or
allocations shall occur prior to the distributions of earnings set
forth in subsection (4) of this section.
(3) Except for the provisions of RCW 43.84.160, the treasury income
account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services
on behalf of treasury funds including, but not limited to, depository,
safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasury and
affected state agencies. The treasury income account is subject in all
respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for
payments to financial institutions. Payments shall occur prior to
distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
(4) Monthly, the state treasurer shall distribute the earnings
credited to the treasury income account. The state treasurer shall
credit the general fund with all the earnings credited to the treasury
income account except:
(a) The following accounts and funds shall receive their
proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's and fund's
average daily balance for the period: The capitol building
construction account, the Cedar River channel construction and
operation account, the Central Washington University capital projects
account, the charitable, educational, penal and reformatory
institutions account, the Columbia river basin water supply development
account, the common school construction fund, the county criminal
justice assistance account, the county sales and use tax equalization
account, the data processing building construction account, the
deferred compensation administrative account, the deferred compensation
principal account, the department of retirement systems expense
account, the developmental disabilities community trust account, the
drinking water assistance account, the drinking water assistance
administrative account, the drinking water assistance repayment
account, the Eastern Washington University capital projects account,
the education construction fund, the education legacy trust account,
the election account, the emergency reserve fund, The Evergreen State
College capital projects account, the federal forest revolving account,
the freight mobility investment account, the health services account,
the public health services account, the health system capacity account,
the personal health services account, the state higher education
construction account, the higher education construction account, the
highway infrastructure account, the high-occupancy toll lanes
operations account, the industrial insurance premium refund account,
the judges' retirement account, the judicial retirement administrative
account, the judicial retirement principal account, the local leasehold
excise tax account, the local real estate excise tax account, the local
sales and use tax account, the medical aid account, the mobile home
park relocation fund, the multimodal transportation account, the
municipal criminal justice assistance account, the municipal sales and
use tax equalization account, the natural resources deposit account,
the oyster reserve land account, the perpetual surveillance and
maintenance account, the public employees' retirement system plan 1
account, the public employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and
plan 3 account, the public facilities construction loan revolving
account beginning July 1, 2004, the public health supplemental account,
the public works assistance account, the Puyallup tribal settlement
account, the real estate appraiser commission account, the regional
transportation investment district account, the resource management
cost account, the rural Washington loan fund, the site closure account,
the small city pavement and sidewalk account, the special wildlife
account, the state employees' insurance account, the state employees'
insurance reserve account, the state investment board expense account,
the state investment board commingled trust fund accounts, the
supplemental pension account, the Tacoma Narrows toll bridge account,
the teachers' retirement system plan 1 account, the teachers'
retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the tobacco
prevention and control account, the tobacco settlement account, the
transportation infrastructure account, the transportation partnership
account, the tuition recovery trust fund, the University of Washington
bond retirement fund, the University of Washington building account,
the volunteer fire fighters' and reserve officers' relief and pension
principal fund, the volunteer fire fighters' and reserve officers'
administrative fund, the Washington fruit express account, the
Washington judicial retirement system account, the Washington law
enforcement officers' and fire fighters' system plan 1 retirement
account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and fire fighters'
system plan 2 retirement account, the Washington public safety
employees' plan 2 retirement account, the Washington school employees'
retirement system combined plan 2 and 3 account, the Washington state
health insurance pool account, the Washington state patrol retirement
account, the Washington State University building account, the
Washington State University bond retirement fund, the water pollution
control revolving fund, and the Western Washington University capital
projects account. Earnings derived from investing balances of the
agricultural permanent fund, the normal school permanent fund, the
permanent common school fund, the scientific permanent fund, and the
state university permanent fund shall be allocated to their respective
beneficiary accounts. All earnings to be distributed under this
subsection (4)(a) shall first be reduced by the allocation to the state
treasurer's service fund pursuant to RCW 43.08.190.
(b) The following accounts and funds shall receive eighty percent
of their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or
fund's average daily balance for the period: The aeronautics account,
the aircraft search and rescue account, the county arterial
preservation account, the department of licensing services account, the
essential rail assistance account, the ferry bond retirement fund, the
grade crossing protective fund, the high capacity transportation
account, the highway bond retirement fund, the highway safety account,
the motor vehicle fund, the motorcycle safety education account, the
pilotage account, the public transportation systems account, the Puget
Sound capital construction account, the Puget Sound ferry operations
account, the recreational vehicle account, the rural arterial trust
account, the safety and education account, the special category C
account, the state patrol highway account, the transportation 2003
account (nickel account), the transportation equipment fund, the
transportation fund, the transportation improvement account, the
transportation improvement board bond retirement account, and the urban
arterial trust account.
(5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state
Constitution, no treasury accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings
without the specific affirmative directive of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9 Sections 1 through 6 of this act constitute
a new chapter in Title
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10 This act takes effect July 1, 2006.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 If specific authority to issue general
obligation bonds of at least two hundred million dollars for the
purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number,
is not provided by June 30, 2006, in a bond authorization act, this act
is null and void."
Correct the title.