Washington § 90.14.043 - Claim of right to withdraw, divert, or use ground or surface waters — Claim upon certification by board — Procedure — Cut-off date for accepting petitions — Adjudication filing in water resource inventory area 1.

Full text of Washington Revised Code of Washington § 90.14.043 — Claim of right to withdraw, divert, or use ground or surface waters — Claim upon certification by board — Procedure — Cut-off date for accepting petitions — Adjudication filing in water resource inventory area 1., with citation guidance and answers to common questions.

§ 90.14.043. Claim of right to withdraw, divert, or use ground or surface waters — Claim upon certification by board — Procedure — Cut-off date for accepting petitions — Adjudication filing in water resource inventory area 1.

(1) Notwithstanding any time restrictions imposed by the provisions of this chapter, a person may file a claim pursuant to RCW 90.14.041 if such person obtains a certification from the pollution control hearings board as provided in this section.
(2) A certification shall be issued by the pollution control hearings board if, upon petition to the board, it is shown to the satisfaction of the board that:
(a) Waters of the state have been applied to beneficial use continuously (with no period of nonuse exceeding five consecutive years) in the case of surface water beginning not later than June 7, 1917, and in the case of groundwater beginning not later than June 7, 1945, or
(b) Waters of the state have been applied to beneficial use continuously (with no period of nonuse exceeding five consecutive years) from the date of entry of a court decree confirming a water right and any failure to register a claim resulted from a reasonable misinterpretation of the requirements as they related to such court decreed rights.
(3) The board shall have jurisdiction to accept petitions for certification from any person through September 1, 1985, and not thereafter.
(4) A petition for certification shall include complete information on the claim pursuant to RCW 90.14.051 (1) through (8), and any such information as the board may require.
(5) The department of ecology is directed to accept for filing any claim certified by the board as provided in subsection (2) of this section. The department of ecology, upon request of the board, may provide assistance to the board pertinent to any certification petition.
(6) A certification by the pollution control hearings board or a filing with the department of ecology of a claim under this section shall not constitute a determination or confirmation that a water right exists.
(7) The provisions of RCW 90.14.071 shall have no applicability to certified claims filed pursuant to this section.
(8) This section shall have no applicability to groundwaters resulting from the operations of reclamation projects.
(9)(a) Notwithstanding any time restrictions imposed by the provisions of this chapter, for an adjudication filed in water resource inventory area 1 after June 1, 2023, filing an adjudication claim form as provided in RCW 90.03.140 satisfies the statement of claim filing requirements of RCW 90.14.041.
(b)(i) Filing a claim under this subsection shall not affect or impair in any respect whatsoever any water right existing prior to July 27, 1997.
(ii) A water right embodied in a claim filed under this subsection is subordinate to:
(A) Any water right embodied in a permit or certificate issued under chapter 90.03 or 90.44 RCW prior to the date the claim is filed with the superior court;
(B) Any water right embodied in a statement of claim filed in the water rights claims registry before July 27, 1997; and
(C) Any water right whose basis is federal law.
[ 2025 c 318 s 2; 1985 c 435 s 1; 1979 ex.s. c 216 s 4.]

Notes

Findings—Intent—2025 c 318: "The legislature finds that after completing the Yakima basin surface water rights adjudication, the department of ecology filed a new water rights adjudication for water resource inventory area 1 ("WRIA 1") applying to Whatcom and Skagit counties.
The legislature finds that water users are seeking to apply similar procedures and lessons learned from the Yakima basin water rights adjudication to the new WRIA 1 adjudication.
The legislature further finds that after the department of ecology filed the Yakima basin adjudication in 1977, the legislature passed chapter 216, Laws of 1979 ex. sess. (Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill No. 2794). This legislation ensured that water users who may have had precode water uses could participate in the adjudication court process.
The legislature intends to ensure that, like the Yakima basin adjudication, the WRIA 1 adjudication allows for the filing of adjudication claims for precode uses of groundwater and surface water." [ 2025 c 318 s 1.]
Effective date—Severability—1979 ex.s. c 216: See notes following RCW 90.03.245.

Source: official Washington text · Last verified 2026-08-27

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What does Revised Code of Washington § 90.14.043 cover?

Section 90.14.043 ("Claim of right to withdraw, divert, or use ground or surface waters — Claim upon certification by board — Procedure — Cut-off date for accepting petitions — Adjudication filing in water resource inventory area 1.") is part of the Revised Code of Washington, the codified statutory law of Washington. It sets out the legal rule or procedure described in the text above. Statutes are amended regularly, so always verify against the official source.

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