Water Resources

Climate change is likely to increase the frequency and severity of droughts, causing declines in mountain snowpack and impacting statewide water supplies. Our Water Resources program supports sustainable water resources management to meet the present and future water needs of people and the natural environment, in partnership with Washington communities.

An obligation to future generations

Historically, Washington residents have enjoyed an abundance of water, but water availability is no longer a given.

Population growth and economic development are fueling increased demands for water. These demands are often in conflict with the need to restore stream flows to save fish from extinction, and the pressures of climate change and warming temperatures increase the need to address these challenges.

As competing demands and environmental threats to water resources loom larger than ever, there is increasing public awareness of water supply issues across the state. We are committed to meeting the challenges and working creatively and collaborative to address current and future water needs of people, farms, and fish.

The program's work

The Water Resources program focuses on:

The program also includes the Office of Columbia River, which is working to meet the water needs of cities, industry, farms, and fish in Eastern Washington.

Committees and work groups

The program convenes and supports several committees and work groups:

Laws, regulations, and policies

Our work is guided by the following regulations, laws, rules, policies, and case law: