NEWS FLASH: CELP Water Data Budget Proviso Included in 2024 Supplemental Budget

This legislative session, CELP submitted an initial budget proviso that is an important step in modernizing water law. We know that climate change is impacting water availability due to changes in precipitation, but lack a coordinated resource to see and document these changes. To ensure adequate water is available to meet both consumptive out-of-stream uses and sufficient instream flows, new data, enhanced analytics, and a platform for information dissemination are needed. This requires a focused effort to modernize our water resource data.

Working together with The Department of Ecology’s Water Resource Management Team, CELP submitted a funding request for a database that would update existing Ecology data programs to allow for smoother information gathering and sharing. CELP intends this to be a first step into a more comprehensive system that would track streamflows, precipitation, water right records, geospatial information, mitigation and water banks, and metering data. This web map will provide the public with an interactive online mapping system, focused on water resource data that enables users to access, visualize, and use improved water data. Ecology will also consult with local and tribal governments to identify the most useful data elements and analytics to incorporate into water resource enhancements.

While the amount of money allocated and overall scope approved is significantly less than our original ask, we are pleased that the work will begin immediately laying the groundwork for a more extensive project in the future.

Read more about our successful 2024 legislative session here.

We want to extend our thanks to Rep. Joe Fitzgibbons, Rep. Timm Ormsby, Rep. Bruce Chandler, and Sen. Derek Stanford and Sen. June Robinson for their support and to our lobbyist, Dawn Vyvyvan for her hard work!