Whatcom County is calling on the public to fill out a survey to help develop and implement outreach and assistance to water users involved with the Nooksack Basin adjudication process.
The Washington State Legislature approved $300,000 in funding for the county’s efforts in 2023 as attempts are made to untangle the web of water rights in the Nooksack Basin.
Water rights adjudication is a legal process designed to quantify and prioritize water use. The highest priority is given to those who have the oldest, continuous use.
The Washington Department of Ecology is preparing to file a water rights adjudication this spring for Water Resource Inventory Area 1, which includes Nooksack River watershed as well as nearby Bellingham Bay, Birch Bay, Chuckanut, Drayton Harbor, Lake Whatcom, Lummi Bay, Point Roberts and Sumas River watersheds.
“The survey is a short and simple online form,” said Jed Holmes, a public information officer with the county.
“It’s intended to help us plan how best to communicate with participants of the process as well as to understand what kinds of information gaps and educational opportunities there are.”
All water users involved — water right holders and permit-exempt well users — should receive certified mail from the Department of Ecology via Whatcom County Superior Court, according to a news release.
These users then have one year to fill out a court claim describing their water use. Afterward, the court will inventory all legal rights, according to the release.
Ecology is holding its third annual webinar on the Nooksack adjudication process at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31,. The event is set up to clear up myths and provide accurate information about the process and who it impacts, as well as the expenses associated with it.
“In previous years our subject matter experts have talked a lot about what an adjudication is, and why we need to do one in the Nooksack,” a news release stated.
“This year, they’ll be getting into a little more detail about how to participate and what the process will look like.”
The public can pre-register by visiting the department’s blog post “Questions about the Nooksack adjudication?”
Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
