WHAT: Governor Bob Ferguson and the Department of Ecology have suddenly announced a major new “Washington’s Water Future(WWF) initiative centered around “the future of our water supplies”! No specific authority or budget is cited.
https://ecology.wa.gov/water-shorelines/washington-water-future
This appears to be driven by continued climate change concerns and the fourth year in a row of a State-wide Drought Declaration in preparation for the 2027 Legislative Session.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Email Jennifer Hennessey, Special Assistant to the Director, Department of Ecology at: Jennifer.Hennessey@ecy.wa.gov and request that ALL WWF sessions be open to the public.
WHEN: NOW! With little advance warning, the Governor and Ecology have just posted a list of meetings beginning in less than two weeks, over summer, when many conservationists and environmentalist are off hiking or on vacations. Some of these meetings are open to the public, but others ARE NOT:
Public input sessions (virtual)
Interest-group input sessions (virtual)
Tribal input sessions (virtual)
Regional roundtables with invited stakeholders (in person)
Updates and summaries from these engagements will be provided through Ecology’s email list.
The first “virtual public input session,” which requires registration through the above Ecology website or link below is:
Webinar Registration – Zoom: July 8th at 6 PM
Webinar Registration – Zoom August 4th at 12 PM
Be aware that Ecology’s agenda is to provide an “opportunity” for you to learn more about the water challenges facing our state and to share your thoughts on:
- What a resilient water future looks like in Washington, and what priorities drive that vision
- What solutions will move towards that vision and address those needs
- What barriers are in the way and how Washington can help
Ecology has already disclosed that this is really a sales job presentation to convince western Washington taxpayers to help bail out eastern Washington irrigators who continue to waste water because water conservation remains voluntary, and to identify “barriers”, such as permitting and environmental review that “hinders” new dams and water projects.
The next round of virtual input sessions for a specific interest group is:
Register for the Agricultural Interests session – 10 a.m., July 15, 2026.
Register for the Housing, Business and Economic Interests session – 9 a.m., July 28, 2026.
Register for the Environmental and Environmental Justice Interests – 10 a.m. Aug. 5, 2026.
Register for the Water Utilities and Local Governments – 1 p.m. Aug. 13, 2026.
The website says that these sessions are “open to all,” so signing up for all these is also important.
What is not clear are the “Regional roundtables with invited stakeholders (in person)” that have not been announced and whether these will be open to the public. This is likely where the real decisions and requests will be made.
Ecology has listed issue areas, including:
Aquifer recharge
Reclaimed water
Water storage
Conservation and efficiency
Wetland restoration
Floodplain restoration
Region‑specific strategies to build resilience
These tools can help communities adapt, improve water reliability, support habitat, and strengthen long‑term watershed health.
This is called log-rolling or packing together often opposing sectors by promising them something so that those interested in wetland or floodplain protections will go along with those demanding more uneconomical and environmentally damaging new irrigation dams and water projects.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Washington State has had a failed state water policy for over a century, resulting in the extinction of salmon species, the draining of rivers in eastern Washington desert areas to grow non-food crops for export, and the proposed wasting of billions of dollars on structural solutions. We need a better Washington State Water Policy. It would be helpful to come together around a common message. The following is a start:
- Increase instream flows for fish. “Minimum stream flows” are not adequate to restore depleted and threatened fish species. First-in-time, First-in-right. The fish were here first.
- Remove Ecology’s RCW mandates to “aggressively” pursue new water supplies.
- Pass a strong State wetland protection program that stops wetland filling for non-water dependent uses and shuts down wetland mitigation banks.
- Implement mandatory irrigation water conservation measures.
- Pass requirements for Senior and Pro-ratable Irrigation districts in the Yakima River Basin to share water during droughts.
- Address EPA’s 303(d) list of impaired waters in Washington State.
- Remove RCW well permit exemptions and ensure aquifer recharge.
- Ensure that any effort to use “reclaimed water” (from sewage treatment plants) does not further pollute aquafers or drinking water.
FINALLY, Ecology has also been promoting this approach during meetings of existing Ecology work groups in the Chehalis, Dungeness, Icicle Creek, Yakima, and Walla Walla Basins, as well as Ecology’s Office of Columbia River Policy Advisory Group. These work groups meet monthly or quarterly in person or via zoom, but rarely have any public attendees or public input.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Google Ecology’s water basin workgroups and get on their email list for meetings.