By Ray Liaw on Posted in Water LawThe Washington State Supreme Court just accepted review of Five Corners Family Farm et al. v. Department of Ecology (Easterday Ranches), which will determine the quantity of permit-exempt groundwater rights for stockwatering under the state Groundwater Code. The legal dispute in Easterday concerns a narrow question of statutory interpretation – whether reference to a 5,000 … Continue Reading
By Duncan M. Greene on Posted in Development,Environmental,Land UseOn December 1, 2010, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued the 2010 Construction Stormwater General Permit (CSGP). GordonDerr recently wrote about the CSGP when Ecology released the draft permit in July. The most significant change between the draft and final versions of the permit is Ecology’s removal of a specific numeric effluent limit … Continue Reading
By molawrence on Posted in Development,Land UseEarlier this month, FEMA issued new preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (pFIRMs) for King County. As expected, those maps show dramatically different floodplain boundaries as compared to the existing FIRMs. This is due in part to the de-accreditation of the majority of levees along the Green River in south King County. These changes will have … Continue Reading
By Peter J. Smith on Posted in Environmental,Land Use,Municipal,Water LawWe now know a little more about how the Department of Ecology is responding to Gregoire’s suspension of rule making. On November 30, Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant released an initial determination of affected rules. He intends to announce a final determination on Monday, December 6. Ecology is seeking comments on its initial determination through this Friday, … Continue Reading
