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Ecology home | Water Resources Advisory Committee | WRAC meetings

 Last revised: November 14, 2022

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 11 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

• 2022 Legislative Bill Tracking - Sine Die

2022 Meetings

November 14

• Agenda - includes Zoom link
• WRIA 1 Water Right Adjudications - presentation by Robin McPherson

October 10

• Agenda - includes Zoom link
• Streamflow Restoration Policy and Interpretive Statement - Update for WRAC discussion
• Streamflow Restoration Grant Round Results
  • Read the news release about the 26 projects that were selected for funding.
  • Presentation
• 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)
    
    

 September 12

• Agenda - includes Zoom link
• Municipal Water Law Policy 2030 - Update presentation
• Proposed Water Bank - Summary of the Okanogan Conservation District Proposed Water Bank - posted 08/12/2022
• 2021 Columbia River Basin Long-term Water Supply and Demand Forecast

August 8

• Agenda  - includes ZOOM meeting information
• We have made the Draft Legislative Report on Water Right Transfers, Water Banking, and Trust available for public comment through September 6, 2022
  • Draft Legislative Report on Water Right Transfers, Water Banking, and Trust
  • Submit a public comment on the draft report
• 2021 Columbia River Basin Long-term Water Supply and Demand Forecast:
  • The detailed report is available at the following website: https://ecology.wa.gov/Water-Forecast
  • A 4-page flyer is available at the following website (imagine it being folded): https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/2112012.pdf 
• Water Right Transfers, Water Banking and Trust - Draft Legislative Report and Recommendations - presentation by Austin Melcher
• Legal case documents - Steve North
• DRAFT Agency Request Legislation - Dave Christensen:
  • Concerning the Walla Walla water 2050 plan
  • Concerning accounts for state drought planning, preparedness and response

July 11 - Meeting Canceled. Next meeting is scheduled for August 8.

Trust Water Rights Program and Water Banks now include links to the following Policy, Guidance and Forms for Trust and Water Banks:

• POLICY 1010: Administration of the Trust Water Rights Program
• GUIDANCE: Administering the Trust Water Rights Program
• FORM: Request to Establish or Modify a Water Bank
• FORM: Temporary Donation to the Trust Water Rights Program

June 13

• Agenda - includes ZOOM meeting information
• Why is this drought so wet? Reasons why a lot of rain doesn't always mean the end of a drought Jun.9, 2022 Ecology Blog

May 9

• Agenda - includes ZOOM meeting information
• Streamflow Restoration - 2022 update - Bennett Weinstein
• Statewide conditions and Drought - Jeff Marti

April 11

• Agenda
• Water banking pilot grant funding
• Second comment period ended at 11:59pm April 28, 2022 for the Draft policy and interpretive statement on the Administration of the Trust Water Rights Program (TWRP) 
• Water Supply Update - Presentation by Jeff Marti
• The drought declared in 2021 is ongoing - Apr. 4, 2022 Blog

March 14

• Agenda
• Draft Policy and Guidance Update - March 14 presentation
• Winter precipitation a mixed bag for water supply as we look to spring - Blog

February 14

• Agenda

January 10

• Agenda
• Questions about Nooksack adjudication? Register for our presentation scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27 via Zoom

2021 Archive

• WRAC meeting archive for 2021 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. 
• 2021 Legislative Bill Tracking - 04/29/2021 Sine Die, last spreadsheet with budget provisos

Ecology budget and legislative priorities

• Budget and legislative priorities- tracking for all agency programs

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:

Mary Verner - Water Resources Program Manager
mary.verner@ecy.wa.gov 
(360) 280-2826

Chris Anderson - Water Resources Program webmaster
chris.anderson@ecy.wa.gov
(360) 890-5471

Dave Christensen - Water Resources Program legislative liaison
dave.christnsen@ecy.wa.gov
360-489-4227