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KITTITAS COUNTY <br /> DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br /> PUBLIC WORKS—BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br /> STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT <br /> STUDY SESSION DATE: November 25, 2024 <br /> TOPIC: Ecology Cost-Reimbursement Agreement for <br /> Kittitas County Water Bank Permit <br /> ACTION REQUESTED: Direction to Staff <br /> LEAD STAFF: <br /> Arden Thomas <br /> RECOMMENDATION: <br /> Direct staff to prepare enabling documentation for Cost-Reimbursement Agreement with <br /> the Department of Ecology and a Cost-Share Agreement with Mr. Jansen. <br /> BRIEFING SUMMARY: <br /> • In 2021 Kittitas County submitted a water right application(G4-36135)to the <br /> Department of Ecology(Ecology) to expand Kittitas County's Water Bank permit <br /> coverage. <br /> • Expanded permit coverages allows the County to service more parcels"over-the- <br /> counter." <br /> • Ecology has decided not to process the application via their standard processing <br /> que due to staffing constraints and the application's large technical component. <br /> • Due to landowner interest in the application, the County and Ecology have <br /> recently discussed processing the application through Ecology's Cost- <br /> Reimbursement Agreement program. <br /> • Mr. Jansen, a local landowner, is interested in cost-sharing so that the application <br /> can proceed through Ecology's Cost-Reimbursement Agreement program. <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> Kittitas County previously obtained"large area"water right permits from the Department <br /> of Ecology(Ecology). These permits provide front loaded review of a larger geographic <br /> area and enable the County to issue water mitigation certificates through our"over-the- <br /> counter"program. If certificates cannot be issued"over-the-counter," a process which <br /> takes us days to administer, then they must go to Ecology to obtain individual permits. <br /> Ecology permit review processing time is currently two years. In 2021, Kittitas County <br /> submitted a water right application(G4-36135)to the Department of Ecology(Ecology) <br /> to expand Kittitas County's Water Bank permit coverage. In this application, we seek to <br /> expand our permit coverage to up to 13 8 additional parcels. <br /> Ecology has decided not to process the application via their standard processing que due <br /> to staffing constraints and the application's large technical component. An alternative <br /> Page 1 of 4 <br /> Public Works"Work Session Staff Report",2024 <br />