House Committee advances Yakima Basin water resource legislation with revised funding deadline

The Washington Legislature's House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee has advanced a significant bill aimed at securing the future of the Tiana Way Community Forest in the Yakima Basin. The bill, known as HDash2108.1, modifies the deadline for securing necessary permits and funding for a water supply facility, extending it from June 30, 2025, to February 1935, effectively granting an additional ten years for compliance.

This legislation is crucial as it supports the Yakima Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan, which seeks to balance both in-stream and out-of-stream water uses. The plan is a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders, including the Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Ecology, and the Yakima Nation, with goals centered on water conservation, fish passage, habitat protection, and groundwater storage.

In 2013, the state legislature allocated funds to purchase over 50,000 acres of forest land to establish the Tiana Way Community Forest. However, if the necessary permits and funding are not secured by the new deadline, the Board of Natural Resources will have the authority to transfer the land from its community forest status to the common school trust, which would change its management and purpose.

The bill also reinstates the requirement for annual interest payments on a $10 million loan used for the land purchase, which had been previously removed in earlier drafts. This decision is expected to have no fiscal impact on the Department of Natural Resources, as the current version of the bill maintains the interest payment obligations.

As the committee moves forward with this bill, the implications for water resource management and community forestry in the Yakima Basin remain significant, highlighting the ongoing commitment to sustainable environmental practices and resource conservation in Washington State.