Landowners in Whatcom County who received water rights adjudication paperwork from the state last year have a new resource available to help them navigate the process. Whatcom County Public Works and a team of technical water rights experts will be hosting a series of free assistance events at public libraries and community locations across the county through June 2026. The next session will be held at the Blaine Public Library at 610 3rd Street, with drop-in hours available from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Appointments are also still available and can be scheduled by calling 360-778-6314.
The assistance sessions are designed to help property owners work through the formal adjudication form and understand what the process means for their property and water use. County staff and technical advisors will walk attendees through the steps, answer specific questions about individual situations, and explain what happens next in the court-supervised adjudication process. Property owners who are unsure whether they received a notice, or who received paperwork but set it aside, are encouraged to attend and bring any documentation they have.
The WRIA 1 water rights adjudication is a major legal proceeding affecting tens of thousands of parcels throughout the Nooksack River watershed, which covers most of Whatcom County. In March 2025, the Washington State Department of Ecology began sending adjudication summons by certified mail to landowners in Water Resources Inventory Area 1 who hold a recorded water right or who are outside a public water system service area. Starting in March 2026, legal notices were also published in newspapers of record, as required under state water law.
An adjudication is essentially a court-supervised accounting of all water rights in a watershed. The state is legally required under RCW 90.03.130 to periodically conduct adjudications to establish clear legal records of who holds what water rights, from what source, in what amount, and for what purpose. Once completed, an adjudication decree creates a definitive, legally binding record that can be used to resolve future disputes and manage water resources during droughts or other constraints.
For individual landowners, the adjudication can feel overwhelming. The documents are dense with legal language, and the stakes are real. Property owners who miss deadlines or fail to properly document their water rights claims risk having those rights reduced or disallowed in the final decree. The county and state recognize this and have invested in outreach specifically because rural landowners who rely on wells, streams, or other non-municipal water sources may not have legal representation or prior experience with administrative water rights proceedings.
Whatcom County's geography makes water rights a particularly loaded topic locally. The Nooksack River watershed supports significant agricultural production in the Fraser-Nooksack lowlands, provides drinking water for Bellingham and numerous smaller communities, and sustains salmon and steelhead runs that are subject to treaty rights held by the Nooksack Indian Tribe and other tribal nations. The adjudication will establish a formal legal framework for water allocation across all those competing uses.
County officials are emphasizing that support is available specifically because the process is time-sensitive. Assistance will be offered through June 2026, but limited support will be available after that month. The window of free, in-person expert help is finite, and property owners are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these events while they are still scheduled. Additional dates across Whatcom County are available through the county's WRIA 1 adjudication resource page at whatcomcounty.us.
Residents who cannot attend an in-person session but have questions about the adjudication can also contact the county directly at 360-778-6314. Staff are available to help determine whether your property is within the adjudication area and what steps you may need to take to protect your water rights claim. Bringing your property address and any existing water right documentation to any session will help advisors give you the most accurate guidance possible.
