Commercial & Industrial uses

Commercial and industrial uses include agriculture, horticulture, livestock, and similar activities.

To protect your current water use, it is important that you submit an adjudication court claim form by June 1, 2027. Fill out Parts A, C, and D of the court claim form for each commercial or industrial use.
If you use water for commercial or industrial purposes, it is important that you submit a court claim form to protect your water use. Commercial and industrial uses include horticulture, agriculture, livestock production, and more. Please contact Ecology’s technical assistance staff if you are unsure if you qualify as a commercial or industrial user. As a commercial or industrial user, you may be using water under a water right document or using a well allowed under the groundwater permit exemption. If you don’t know which applies to you, you can complete a water right search using our web map or search tool Nooksack Adjudication Web Map. 

Whether you have a water right document or you are using water under the groundwater permit exemption, it is important that you complete Part C of the court claim form for each separate water right. If you do not know the annual quantity of water used, you can use Whatcom County’s Water Use Calculator to estimate.