Oct31
WATER RIGHT APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
The Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) has provided a Water Right Application Portal for applicants to apply for new water rights directly on their phones, computers, or other devices. Paper applications are still available for submission. Funding for the portal was provided by a $163,900.00 Innovation and Modernization Grant supplied by Washington Technology Solutions.
Through the portal, applicants are able to pay directly online with no supplemental report and they can then track their application status on the portal’s dashboard. Currently, the portal is only open for new water right applications, but all applications will be available eventually including change, seasonal change, reservoir, managed aquifer recharge, and aquifer storage and recovery. Even though the portal has modernized the process, DOE has not made more water available, and they remind applications that the requirements to obtain water remain unchanged and water cannot be granted unless it is both physically and legally available.
DOE suggests that new water right applicants schedule a one to two hour pre-application consultation with DOE Water Resource staff to discuss their project and water supply availability before committing time and money to the application process. Water rights can be costly to attain and take years to complete.
Watch DOE’s Video on the Water Right Application Portal Here.
More Ecology News Available Here.
Need More Information, Contact:
Jimmy Norris, Communications Manager
360-480-5722
