Warnick introduces bill to help cities secure water

OLYMPIA - Washington State Senator Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake) introduced a new bill to the legislature this week to help cities meet growing water needs while addressing environmental concerns. The purpose of the bill, SB 5517, is to enact recommendations from the joint legislative task force on water resource mitigation, and comes after one of her other sponsored bills passed committee. “This bill was introduced because of work that was done by the Water Resource Mitigation Work Group and its been going on for a number of years,” Warnick said. “I would say four years and I’ve got a notebook that is three inches thick with all the notes from that.” Warnick explained that it stemmed from a lawsuit by the city of Yelm, which was looking into expanding its water capability in response to a growing population. She said the bill looks at fulfilling cities’ needs for more water while also looking at the ecological impact of the area such as nearby streams or rivers. Warnick introduced the bill last Monday and it was referred to the Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Parks Committee. It has not been scheduled for any further action or review at this time.