The flip side of advocating to protect water in rivers is to ensure that decisions to allocate water out of stream are made responsibly and with full protection for environmental values. 


CELP promotes the development and use of tools for good water management, including measuring water use, implementation of water conservation, use of reclaimed water, monitoring trends and conditions in surface and ground water resources, and limits on the use of “exempt” wells. 

 

CELP works to protect water quality, especially where there are quality-quantity links. From time to time CELP appeals water right decisions that do not comport with principles of environmental protection.


CELP is currently involved in a lawsuit to challenge HB 1338 or the Municipal Water Law.  (For more information, click here.)

click for CELP reports:  Water Rights Monitoring Project • Trumpeter Swans ~ Hines Marsh • Sunserra Resort ~ Crescent Bar • Whitman County Hawkins Transfers  Water Rights Litigation • WSU & Grande Ronde Aquifer • Quad Cities Enforcement • MVID (Methow River) • Buckhorn Mountain • 1338  Metering • Metering Water Use  Conservation • Overview • Pasco Water Waste  Exempt Wells • Kittitas County petition • Exempt Wells, overview • Case Study: o Trumpeter Swans ~ Hines Marsh • Links o Wells and Groundwater o Six packs for Subdivisions (pdf) o Articles from CELP's newsletter, Washington WaterWatch: • The problem with exempt wells • A Landmark Decision on Non-permitted Wells http://www.celp.org/swans/swanhome/home.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/sunserra/overview.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/hawkins/overview.htmlhttp://columbia-institute.org/wsu/WSUhome/home.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/quadcities/Overview.html../celp/Media_Center/Entries/2007/7/16_MVID_decision.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/buckhorn/Overview.htmlhttp://www.columbia-institute.org/1338/watermining/aquifers.html../celpissues/Water_Metering.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/conservation/overview.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/quadcities/waterwaste.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/kittitas/petition/overview.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/exemptwells/overview.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/swans/swanhome/home.html../celpissues/Wells_%26_Groundwater.htmlhttp://www.celp.org/pdf/SixPacksENVLAW1998.pdfhttp://www.celp.org/pdf/ExemptWell.pdfhttp://www.celp.org/pdf/CampbellGuinn.pdfshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7shapeimage_2_link_8shapeimage_2_link_9shapeimage_2_link_10shapeimage_2_link_11shapeimage_2_link_12shapeimage_2_link_13shapeimage_2_link_14shapeimage_2_link_15shapeimage_2_link_16shapeimage_2_link_17


1900 Water Right Claim. Antiquated claims such as this is one reason that we are unable to properly manage water in the Columbia River watershed.


Click on image to enlarge.

 

  Center for

  Environmental Law & Policy

Our Water Programs • Restoring Rivers • Water Rights • Columbia Watershed • Governmental Affairs • Water Future Program_Overview.htmlRiver_Restoration.html../celpissues/Columbia_Watershed.htmlGovernmental_Affairs.htmlWater_Vision_for_the_Future.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5
Sign-up for water action alerts http://www.celp.org/mailman/listinfo/celpactionshapeimage_5_link_0
Donate for rivers & drinking-water aquifers http://www.celp.org/water/celpjoin/Membership.htmlshapeimage_6_link_0