Washington passed its first water law in 1917, it established that those who put water to beneficial use and continued to use that water in the same way would retain those rights to use the water in the future. This is known as first in time, first in right. New laws and court cases have influenced how the state manages our water resources, but no significant changes have been made that prepare the state for the changes to the resource due to climate change. The 1917 law also neglected to recognize the state’s oldest water users, Washington Tribes. The current laws and policies are inadequate, and do not provide the state with the tolls to manage an increasingly scarce resource. CELP believes that significant changes need to be made to our water law to make our state’s water management sustainable and more equitable.

I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

What CELP is Working On

I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.