Ecology Streamlines Water Rights Permitting

This week, the Washington Department of Ecology created a certified water right examiner program to improve the efficiency of water right permit processing in Washington state. The program hopes to streamline the process for water right permit holders seeking final water right certificates. 

Professional engineers and land surveyors, registered hydrogeologists and water conservancy board members are among those considered initially eligible to become certified water right examiners. Once the rule creating the program becomes effective Dec. 29, 2012, those interested can apply at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/rights/cwre.html

This program is part of a broader departmental effort, initiated in 2010, to address its backlog of applications that has been exacerbated by recent budget reductions to Ecology’s water resources division and resulting staff limitations. In 2010 the legislature adopted Ecology-sponsored amendments to the process for review of water rights applications that were designed to promote faster and more efficient processing of water right applications by expanding the existing cost-reimbursement provisions of the water code and by authorizing Ecology to rely more on external consultants to process water rights applications. See Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6267, Laws of 2010 ch. 285.  The program announced yesterday by Ecology implements one of the statutory measures in the legislation. 

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