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Ecology home | Water Resources Advisory Committeee | WRAC meetings

 Last revised: January 6, 2021

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

ALERT: All Ecology buildings are closed to the public. Staff are available by telephone and email, but will not be available for walk-in service at headquarters, regional, and field offices until further notice. For more information please visit our COVID-19 response page. See also the Washington state coronavirus.wa.gov page.

WRAC meetings are now held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the second Monday of every month, online using Webex. 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

• 2021 Legislative Bill Tracking -spreadsheet updated weekly during session

2021 Meetings

January 11 - Meeting canceled. Next meeting is Feb. 8

• Ecology begins environmental review of proposal to rebuild Eightmile Lake Dam - News release 12/18/2020

2020 Meetings

December 14

• Agenda - WebExOnly
• • WebEx Log-in tips
• Report - Water Trust, Banking, and Transfers in Washington State: Findings and Recommendations Informed by Ecology’s Advisory Group on Water Trust, Banking, and Transfers
• Report - Report to the Legislature: Streamflow Restoration Law Update 
• Policy discussion about updating POL-1050, Extension of time on permits.

November 9

• Agenda - WebEx Only
  • WebEx Log-in tips

October 12

• Agenda - WebEx Only
• Water Right Adjudications
  • Presentation by Robin McPherson
  • Read the adjudication assessment report 
  • Next steps in managing water rights - Blog
• Streamflow restoration competitive grants
  
  • 2020 Grant Round Application Summary
• WaterSMART - Drought Response Program - Drought Contingency Planning Grants for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021

September 14

• Agenda - WebEx Only
  • WebEx Log-in tips

• Our 2021-23 budget requests are now available online:

  • Budget home page
  • 2021-23 Operating Budget Request (Sept. 2020)
  • 2021-23 Capital Budget Request (Sept. 2020)
• Ecology Air Monitoring Website (Washington Air Quality Advisory)
• Implementing RCW 90.94 (Streamflow Restoration - Presentation by Bennett Weinstein
• Water Supply Update - Jeff Marti

August 10 The meeting has been canceled. Next scheduled meeting is Monday, September 14.

• What a difference a year makes: Water supply in Washington near normal
• Spokane River Instream Flow Rule - Aug. 6. 2020 Supreme Court Decision
• Read the Focus on: How the Foster decision affects our work
  • See more information on our Foster decision page
  • Follow the Joint Legislative Task Force on Water Resource Mitigation

July 13

• Agenda - WebEx Only
  • WebEx Log-in tips
• Kachess  Community Association et. al. v United States Department of Interior, et. al. - Order Granting Defendants' Motions to Dismiss 
• The Skagit River Mitigation Plan - Presentation by John Rose and Buck Smith
• Water Supply Update - Jeff Marti
• Streamflow Restoration Planning - WRIA 59 - We adopted the watershed plan addendum on June 25, 2020

June 8

• Agenda - WebEx Only
  • WebEx Log-in tips
• 2020 Legislative priorities
  • Advisory Group on Water Trust, Banking, and Transfers
• Washington State Water Supply Conditions - Jeff Marti
• Implementing the Dungeness Instream Flow Regulation - Mike Gallagher
  • The story of water - League of Women Voters of Clallam County
  • Dungeness Off-channel Reservoir - Video
  • Dungeness Off-channel Reservoir - Handout
• Chapter 173-501 WAC, Instream Resources Protection Program - Nooksack Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 1 CR-103, adopted rule amendment
• Statewide conditions - latest information about water supply in the state
• Streamflow restoration competitive grants

May 11

• Agenda - WebEx Only
  • WebEx Log-in tips
• Spokane River - Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Rule
  • TVW - link to watch
• Loyal Pig LLC et al v Dept. of Ecology et al May 5, 2020 published opinion
• Ecology's first 50 years - a celebration
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates - Office closures, public meetings, public records and disclosure
• Advisory Group on Water Trust, Banking, and Transfers
• Statewide conditions - latest information about water supply in the state

April 13

• Agenda - includes WebEx meeting information
  • WebEx - Instructions for use
• Drought response - our new page with links to the new law and state drought contingency plan
  • New law improves capabilities for drought response and preparedness - Blog
• Advisory Group on Water Trust, Banking, and Transfers
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates - Office closures, public meetings, public records and disclosure
• Read about the Skagit River Baasin Mitigation Program
• Streamflow restoration competitive grants -  Extension of application deadline, we will be accepting applications until 5 p.m. on Apr. 30, 2020.

March 9 

• Agenda - revised 3/6 at 9am

February 10 

• Agenda
• Streamflow restoration program status - Feb. 2020 update
• Streamflow restoration competitive grants - application period for streamflow restoration grants is now open
• 2020 Legislative priorties - Agency tracking
• Water Right Permits - Pre-application consultation, new forms for water rights and water right changes

January 13

• Agenda
• Streamflow restoration competitive grants - application period for streamflow restoration grants is now open
• New Year, New Water Right Applications - Blog Jan. 15, 2020
• Bill request concerning trust water rights - Z-0837.1/20
• Water banking and trust water rights - Focus January 2020
• We're wading into water issues at the 2020 Legislature - Blog
• 2020 Legislative priorties - Agency tracking
• Water Right Permits - Pre-application consultation, new forms for water rights and water right changes
• Chapter 173-501 WAC, Instream Resources Protection Program - Nooksack Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 1 CR-102 Draft Rule comment and public hearings

Archive

• WRAC meeting archive for 2017 through 2019

Resource materials

Program highlights

• 100 Years of water law - a multi-media review of the many ways Washington’s water law shapes our lives.

Case Law

• Case law

Program contacts:

Chris Anderson
Water Resources Program webmaster
chris.anderson@ecy.wa.gov
(360) 407-6634 

Carrie Sessions
Water Resources Program legislative liaison
carrie.sessions@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6094

Jim Skalski
Water Resources Program budget manager
jim.skalski@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6617