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Ecology home | Water Resources Advisory Committee | WRAC meetings

Last revised: June 27, 2024

The Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC) is a forum for issues related to water resources management in Washington state.

This membership represents state agencies, local governments, water utilities, tribes, environmental groups, consultants, law firms, and other water stakeholders. Typical discussion topics include rules, policies, legislation, budget development, and litigation. The group was established in 1996.

Meetings

WRAC meetings are now held from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on the second Monday of every month, online using Zoom. Anyone who is interested in water resources management in Washington is welcome to attend.

Join the email list

If you would like to receive notices about WRAC meetings, subscribe to the email list.

Bill Tracking

• 2024 Legislative Bill Tracking - March 29, 2024

Water right posting portal page

• Public posting - Washington State Department of Ecology

2024 Meetings

September 9 - CANCELLED

August 12

• August Agenda (includes zoom link)
• August 12 WRAC slides
• August 12 WRAC Recording

July 8 - CANCELLED

June 10

• June Agenda (includes zoom link)

• June WRAC meeting
• Water right application update presentation
• Policy update resources
  • Policy 2030
  • Policy 1010

May 13

• May 13 WRAC meeting recording

• May Agenda (includes zoom link)

• Policy 2030 update slides
  
  • 2nd draft of POl-2030 & link to provide comments
  • POL-1010 (Statewide Trust Water Rights Program policy) & link to provide comments
  • For information about a specific water system’s service area you can contact the planner in the appropriate region/county at the Department of Health.
    Here is a link that lists the contact information for Department of Health staff at specific locations: https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/Eng-plan-Map.pdf.
• Drought Lead update slides

April 8

• April Agenda (Includes Zoom Link)
• WRAC meeting (YouTube link)

March 11

• March Agenda (includes zoom link)
• Drought update presentation - Caroline Mellor
  • Climate Outlook - Office of the Washington State Climatologist 
  • Dept of Ecology Drought 2023 & 2024 site
• Legislative Updates - Lola Flores
  • Bill HB 1752 - Bureau rights in the Columbia River Basin
• March Meeting recording (YouTube)

January 22

• January Agenda
  • Assessing the Effectiveness of Washington's Water Use Efficiency Regulations
• Jan Meeting recording (YouTube)

2023 Meetings

December 11

• December Agenda
• Legal Update - Steve North 
  • Fode - PCHB
  • Burkholder - Thurston County Superior Court
• Dec. Meeting recording (YouTube)

November 13

• November Agenda
• • WAC 173-166 - Washington State Department of Ecology
• • Comments on Draft Revisions to POL-2030 (commentinput.com)
  • Streamflow restoration competitive grants - Washington State Department of Ecology
    • Presentation - Vanessa Brinkhuis
• Meeting recording (YouTube) 

September 11

• Agenda - includes Zoom meeting link
• Meeting recording - YouTube
• Draft POL-2030 - Comments due Sept. 30

August 14 - Meeting canceled. Next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 11.

July 10

• Agenda - Includes Zoom link
• Meeting recording - YouTube
• Water Supply Update - Jeff Marti
• HEAL Act
  • Presentation - Courtney Cecale
  • Environmental Justice Assessment Template
  • HEAL Act - Ecology web page
  • Washington's Health Disparities Map

June 12

• Agenda - Includes Zoom link
• Meeting recording - YouTube
• Benton County Water Conservancy Board v. Department of Ecology – June 6, 2023 Opinion
• Water Supply Update - Jeff Marti
• Public posting of water right documents - Barbara Brooks

May 8

• Agenda - Includes Zoom link
• Meeting recording - YouTube
• 2023-25 Budget - information and documents specific to the 2023–25 budget
• Capstone Project: Public Interest in Water Resource Management - Presentation
• Benton County WCB vs. Ecology (CR 27 Perpetuation Depositions case) - link to TVW for an oral argument that AAG Matt Janz had last week
• Streamflow restoration competitive grants
• Statewide conditions
  • Washington’s water supply outlook - Seasonal changes bring good news and bad news 04/28/2023
• WRIA 1 Adjudication

April 10 - Meeting canceled

March 13

• Agenda - includes Zoom link
• Benton County Water Conservancy Bd. v. Dep’t of Ecology
• Statewide water supply update - by Jeff Marti
• WRIA 1 Adjudication
• Statewide conditions

February 13

• Agenda - includes Zoom link
• WRIA 1 Adjudication
• Statewide conditions
  • Water Supply Conditions - Presentation by Jeff Marti
• Pollution Control Hearings Board PCHB No. 21-046 Round Lake Farms, LLC., Order on Summary Judgment Motions
• Division 3 Court of Appeals -  TVW link to enton County Water Conservancy Board v Washington Department of Ecology

January 9

• Agenda
• Water Resources Program Organization Chart - 01/11/2023
• Informational Webinar - Water Right Adjudication - Jan. 30, 2023 at 5:30pm
• Read the 2022 Water Right Transfers, Water Banking, and Trust Legislative Report
• Plans for Nooksack adjudication are underway - Jan.20, 2023 Blog
• City of Chehalis v Department of Ecology PCHB No. 21-061
• • Stipulation and Motion for Agreed Order of Dismissal
  • Order of Dismissal

• Budget bills (2023-25) | Office of Financial Management (wa.gov) – Links to OFM Page with all appropriation related bills for 23-25 biennium

• 2023-25BondBillZ-0216.2.pdf (wa.gov) – Bond Bill – See NEW SECTION 401 (page 7) for specific language related to eliminating SRP $20M per year limitation.

  • 2023-25Biennail2023SuppleCapitalZ-0104.2.pdf (wa.gov) – Capital Budget Bill – See 2021-23 Water Banking (91000373) (pages 311 & 312) – strikeout on page 312 sub-section 6 eliminates conditions on reappropriation after the 21-23 biennium. 

  • Ecology 23-25 Operating Budget Comparison (wa.gov)

  • Ecology 23-25 Capital Budget Comparison (wa.gov)

  • Walla Walla Water 2050 Water Management Plan

• Implementing Washingtons Environmental Justice Law (Chapter 70A.02 RCW): Summary of Progress and Implememtatopm Goals

2022 Meetings

Decenber 12

• Agenda - includes Zoom info
• Adjudication of WRIA 1 (Nooksack) - new web page
• Legal update - Steve North
  • Northwest Pulp and Paper - Supreme Court No. 100573-3
  • Tahoma Audubon Society - PCHB No. 21-057
• Streamflow Restoration Policy and Interpretive Statement - Posted to web on 12/1/2022
  • DRAFT Streamflow Restoration Policy and Interpretive Statement - Redline version from the October 10 WRAC meeting
• Climate change and stream flow: Barriers and opportunities - Report by Washington State University and University of Washington for Ecology
  • Climate Change and Streamflow Barriers and Opportunities - Presentation 

2022 Archive

• WRAC meeting archive for 2022 Note: Content on the archive page is not being maintained and may contain broken links or out of date information. If you see something you need please check with us to see if we have any updated material before using it. 

Budget and legislative priorities

• 2022 Legislative Bill Tracking - Sine Die

• Budget and legislative priorities- Agency tracking for all agency programs
• Copied from the October 10, 2022 meeting:
• • Agency Request Legislation
    • Z-0110 - Concerning the Walla Walla Water 2050 plan
    • Focus on: Walla Walla Integrated water resource plan
    • Z-0050 - Concerning drought preparedness
    • Focus on: Drought Response Capacity
  • Our 2023-25 operating and capital budget requests are available online:
    • 2023-25 budget home page: 2023-25 Budget - Washington State Department of Ecology
    • Direct to operating PDF: 2023-25 Operating Budget Request (Sept. 2022)
    • Direct to capital PDF: 2023-25 Capital Budget Request (Sept. 2022)

Courts

• State of Washington Environmental Hearings Office Board Decisions
• Digest of water resources decisions
• Washington courts

Program highlights

• 100 Years of water law - a multi-media review of the many ways Washington’s water law shapes our lives.
• 50 Year Anniversary of RCW 90.54
  • RCW 90.54 Water Resources Act of 1971 - link to RCW
  • Chronology of Significant Water Resources Events

Case Law

• Case law

Program contacts:

Ria Berns - Water Resources Program Manager
ria.berns@ecy.wa.gov 
425-495-3917

Dave Christensen - Water Resources Deputy Program Manager 
dave.christensen@ecy.wa.gov
360-489-4227

Heather Clements - Water Resources Program webmaster
heather.clements@ecy.wa.gov
564-233-9182