WAC 173-170-040   Comprehensive water conservation plan -- Contents -- Funding.  The comprehensive water conservation plan, which is the ultimate work product due at the end of the planning phase, will address and provide information on the following topics for the geographical area indicated in the request for financial assistance:

Applicant Organization

     (1) Applicant's statutory authority; history of organization management; assessment authority; and operation procedures and management policies.

Land Base and Land Use

     (2) Layout map showing:

     (a) Boundaries of the applicant's jurisdiction and service area;

     (b) Location of: (i) The lands which are assessed by the applicant, and (ii) those lands to which water is delivered in accordance with the water rights or water right claims or otherwise;

     (c) Land use information including total acres irrigated over a representative historical period and cropping patterns for each year of a recent five-year period.

Water Supply, Use, and Rights

     (3) Layout map showing location of: (a) Natural features (streams, rivers, lakes, groundwater aquifers) including those in the watershed(s) where the water supply originates; and (b) all of the applicant's existing water supply facilities inside and out of its service area.

     (4) Information on the applicant's and/or pertinent individual's water rights and/or water right claims for irrigation water supply, including ongoing or future water rights or water rights claims, conflicts, and litigation.

     (5) Hydrologic water supply data including historical records of surface water availability (natural flows and storage), and groundwater pumpages and other pertinent aquifer data on availability for withdrawal for water supply purposes.

     (6) Quantities of surface water diverted and/or groundwater withdrawn for water supply for each year of a recent five-year period. (Annual and monthly acre-feet and maximum and minimum monthly flows in cubic feet per second (cfs) for surface water and gallons per minute (gpm) for groundwater.)

     (7) Identify and assess the hydrological water flow system within the applicant's service area as it pertains to the quantities of water: (a) Diverted or withdrawn, (b) conveyed and distributed, (c) delivered and applied on farm, (d) which recharge the groundwater and are returned to the agricultural water supply system, and (e) which comprise return flows for further irrigation downstream within the agricultural water supply system.

     (8) Identify the quality of water supply and an assessment of the water quality impacts from use of the agricultural water supply system within the applicant's jurisdiction.

Present Facilities and Operations

     (9) Identify and describe the present physical system utilized for the storage, diversion, pumping, conveyance, and distribution of the water supply.

     (10) Assess and evaluate the existing water supply system including system efficiencies and energy use.

Water Needs and Adequacy of Water Supply

     (11) Forecast future trends of land use.

     (12) Estimate irrigation water requirements for the present and anticipated land use and cropping patterns.

     (13) Relate the water needs to present water supply available.

Evaluation of Opportunities for Improvements in Water Supply and Distribution System Efficiencies

     (14) Identify improvements in water supply and distribution system efficiencies (structural and nonstructural).

     (15) Document a system improvements and rehabilitation plan, prepare preliminary designs and cost estimates, and estimate time frame for implementation. Identify location of improvements on layout map.

     (16) Quantify the reasonable net water savings that would result from the efficiency improvements.

     (17) Identify and describe opportunities for improving irrigation water management.

     (18) Quantify any net energy savings that would result from efficiency improvements.

     (19) Evaluate the socioeconomic impacts from the efficiency improvements and rehabilitation plan and changes or modifications of the systems operations and management policies. Discuss and quantify the benefits that accrue from the implementation of the improvements and rehabilitation plan.

     (20) Assess and evaluate the impacts and benefits of transferring the net water savings to other water uses and resources.

     (21) Identify associated wetlands and assess the impacts on them from implementation of the physical system's improvements and rehabilitation plan.

     (22) Evaluate the impacts on water quality standards from implementation of the physical system's improvements and rehabilitation plan.

     (23) Evaluate other environmental impacts from the efficiency improvements and rehabilitation plan. Develop a plan regarding compliance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) if applicable.

Financial

     (24) Develop a financial program that addresses the implementation of the improvements and rehabilitation plan. The financial program should include, among other elements, a time schedule for completing the comprehensive water conservation plan, a summary of the applicant's current indebtedness and repayment plans, present and future operation, maintenance and energy costs (with and without implementation of the proposed project), and a schedule of assessments to cover planned indebtedness to complete implementation of the comprehensive water conservation plan.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 43.99E RCW, Referendum 38, and RCW 90.54.040. 03-07-104 (Order 02-11), § 173-170-040, filed 3/19/03, effective 4/19/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.17.060. 90-20-109, § 173-170-040, filed 10/2/90, effective 11/2/90.]