Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

Franklin County Superior Court Judge Carrie Runge today ruled in favor of the state Department of Ecology and Easterday Farms in a case regarding interpretation of the state's ground water permit exemption for stock water.  Consistent with an Attorney General’s Opinion issued in 2005, the judge ruled from the bench that the Legislature has provided no quantity limitation for stock water use under the law (RCW 90.44.050).  The decision allows cattle ranchers and dairy farmers to continue to access the water they need for their livestock without a permit.