Information for water conservancy board members

Water conservancy board members may use this page to access information, guidance, and tools related to board training, operations, and processes.

All board commissioners and alternates must complete 32 hours of training from us before they are eligible to take part in board actions. To maintain eligibility, board members must also complete 8 hours of continuing education each following year.

Board meetings to process water right change applications are open to the public, and a quorum must be present (two eligible members for a three-person board, or three eligible members for a five-person board).

We track the eligibility of each board member and the ability of each board to form a quorum. You may use the following table, which is updated monthly, to track:

Your training requirements and eligibility to take part in board actions
When your current term expires
If your board is able to form a quorum

See the board tracking and board member eligibility table.

These video modules are available to support water conservancy board member training requirements. Together, they make up 10 hours of the 32-hour training required for new board members, and can be used by existing board members to fulfill all or part of their 8 hours of continuing education required each year.

Required for new board members (10 hours):

Available for continuing education (3 hours):

Water Conservancy Board rule and statute

Washington water law

An introduction to Washington water law — a treatise written by the state attorney general
Washington state water law: A primer — describes how contemporary state water law evolved and summarizes the major water laws of Washington and significant case law
Municipal Research Services Center — funded by counties and cities; provides legal answers regarding the Open Public Meetings Act, Public Records Act, record retention schedules, etc.

Water rights policies and procedures

Water rights policies and procedures

Attorney general opinion

AGO 2006 No. 17 — Water conservancy board consideration of water right transfer applications and our review of board records of decision

Relevant case law

Summaries

Cases

Acquavella — otherwise known as Acquavella III; validating surface water rights
Campbell and Gwinn — use of the permit exemption
Cornelius — application of Washington’s Municipal Water Law
Foster — our authority in applying the overriding considerations of public interest standard
Grimes — perfection of a water right; beneficial use
Kim — “industrial” irrigation under the permit exemption
Merrill — requirement to review perfection, validity, and extent of a water right
Motley-Motley — relinquishment
Postema — impairment test
Schuh — public interest test
Sinking Creek — requirement to review perfection, validity, and extent of a water right
Sullivan Creek — public interest, enlargement, and impairment tests
Swinomish — applying the overriding considerations of public interest standard
Theodoratus — perfection through beneficial use, rather than “pumps and pipes”
Twisp — abandonment, requirement to review perfection, validity, and extent of a water right
Union Gap — verifying exemptions to relinquishment
Additional water resources-related case law

State environmental policy act (SEPA)

SEPA guidance
Chapter 197-11 WAC — SEPA rules
Chapter 43.21C RCW — state environmental policy

Forms

Search for water rights or well logs

Water Rights Search — Our statewide water rights web map
Water well report (log) viewer — Search and view well reports

Common terms, definitions, and acronyms

Water resources common terms and definitions

Newspapers approved for publishing public notice by county

Newspapers approved for publishing public notice by county

Legal descriptions

Property legal descriptions manual - Washington State Department of Natural Resources; for water right transactions

Aerial photos

Aerial photos are useful to verify historical water use, particularly for water claims.

Aerial photography — United States Department of Agriculture; available for most counties for the price of a CD
National Agriculture Imagery Program Status
Central Washington Historical Aerial Photograph Project
TerraFly
Washington Coastal Atlas

Washington Irrigation Guide

Washington Irrigation Guide — United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service Washington

Water availability

Water availability in your watershed

State auditor

Water conservancy boards must file a fiscal report each year and are subject to annual audit by the State Auditor’s Office. Kayley Anderson, of the State Auditor’s Office, has offered to answer questions.

The Washington State Auditor’s Office

State of Washington

WA.gov — can be used to find information regarding state agencies, maps and mapping information, services offered by the state, recreation, employment, emergency information, etc.

Contact information

Ben Carr
Statewide Water Conservancy Board Coordinator
WRWCB@ecy.wa.gov
509-490-1936