If you have been following this blog or the Water Resource Inventory Area (“WRIA”) 1 Adjudication, you have learned that the Washington Department of Ecology (“Ecology”) has issued its Summons to all potential water right claimants in the Nooksack Basin and WRIA 1.

Simply put, a water right is a legal right to use a certain amount of water for a beneficial purpose. The Washington Department of Ecology (“Ecology”) is responsible for managing the state's water resources and administers the permit systems for water rights for surface and ground water.

In May 2024, Ecology filed a Petition for Adjudication (the “Petition”) in the Whatcom County Superior Court to adjudicate all claims of a water right in WRIA 1 (“Adjudication”).