Washington state leaders are asking the legislature to fund the beginning steps of a 30-to-40 year litigation of water rights in the Nooksack river basin of Whatcom County. If this proceeds it will dramatically change the community and will almost certainly end farming in one of the last remaining viable farming areas in Puget Sound.
The two tribes in this area have requested Ecology take this very expensive and harmful step. There are good reasons why the tribes are seeking water rights adjudication. The claims that it is to support fish cannot be supported by the facts. This fact sheet will explain the motivations behind this litigation.
Nooksack River Water Rights Adjudication Fact Sheet