(1)(a) The legislature finds and declares that an extraordinary volume of material washed down onto beds of navigable waters and shorelands in the Toutle river, Coweeman river, and portions of the Cowlitz river following the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.

     (b) The legislature further finds that the owners of private lands located near the impacted rivers were authorized to sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of any dredge spoils removed from the river between the years of 1980 and 1995 without the necessity of any charge by the department.

     (c) The legislature further finds that the dredging activities following the eruption of Mount St. Helens are no longer adequate to protect engineered structures on the affected rivers or the public health and safety of the communities located in proximity to the affected rivers. Future river dredging will be necessary as part of managing the post-eruption state of the rivers, and with the commencement of new dredging activities, the underlying conditions leading to the previous authority for private landowners to dispose of the dredged materials without the necessity of any charge by the department are replicated.

     (d) The legislature further finds that just as between the years of 1980 and 1995, the dredge spoils placed upon adjacent publicly and privately owned property in the affected areas, if further disposed, will be of nominal value to the state and that it is in the best interests of the state to allow further disposal without charge.

     (2)(a) All dredge spoil or materials removed from the state-owned beds and shores of the Toutle river, Coweeman river, and that portion of the Cowlitz river from two miles above the confluence of the Toutle river to its mouth deposited on adjacent public and private lands prior to January 1, 2009, as a result of dredging the affected rivers for navigation and flood control purposes may be sold, transferred, or otherwise disposed of by owners of the lands without the necessity of any charge by the department and free and clear of any interest of the department.

     (b) All dredge spoil or materials removed from the state-owned beds and shores of the Toutle river, Coweeman river, and that portion of the Cowlitz river from two miles above the confluence of the Toutle river to its mouth deposited on adjacent public and private lands after January 1, 2009, but before December 31, 2017, as a result of dredging the affected rivers for navigation and flood control purposes may be sold, transferred, or otherwise disposed of by owners of the lands without the necessity of any charge by the department and free and clear of any interest of the department if the land in question was not used as a source for commercially sold materials prior to January 1, 2009. If the land in question was used as a source for commercially sold materials prior to January 1, 2009, the dredge spoils may be used without the necessity of any charge by the department. However, any sale of the materials would not be exempt from charges by the department consistent with this title.

     (3)(a) Prior to selling or otherwise using any materials under this section for commercial purposes, written notification must be provided by the owners of the lands to the department outlining the type and amount of material that is planned to be sold or otherwise used.

     (b) The department shall report to the appropriate committees of the legislature each biennium through the end of the 2015-2017 biennium a summary of any notifications received under (a) of this subsection. The report must include a determination of whether any revenue that would otherwise accrue to the state has been diverted by the provisions of this section and a summation of the diverted amount for the previous biennium. The initial report is due by January 2, 2012, with subsequent reports due by January 2nd of each even-numbered year.

[2009 c 426 § 1.]