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Adjudication is a legal process. It is the foundation for resolving conflicts and competition over water resources. The process begins by serving a summons to all property owners (claimants) in WRIA 1 who are outside the service area of public water supply systems. The claimants will have one year or more to submit a court claim form to the Whatcom County Superior Court that describes their water usage.
In the following years, the court will review the forms and inventory all legal water rights. The adjudication process will determine whether each water right on a source is legal, how much water can be used, and its priority during water shortages. Then, over time, Ecology will issue adjudicated certificates for all these uses.
The adjudication will include all areas of WRIA 1, regardless of whether they are directly connected to the Nooksack River system. Use our to learn if your address is within WRIA 1.
Table of Contents
WRIA 1 Adjudication Information - March 2025
WRIA 1 Filing Documents With Whatcom County Superior Court - May 2024
At the direction of the Washington State Legislature, Ecology filed a water rights adjudication for the Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA). This filing involves Ecology submitting legal documents with the Whatcom County Superior Court.
This formally starts the adjudication process and establishes the Court’s jurisdiction. Affected water users will not have to act at the time of filing. They will be notified by a summons later this year that will be sent via certified mail.
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Documents
Please note these documents are historical and may not reflect the most current information. For the latest updates please refer to the 2025 documents above.
Newsletters
Monthly newsletters are sent to provide the most up-to-date information on this adjudication of water rights in WRIA 1 (Nooksack Area) in parts of Whatcom and Skagit Counties. Below, you can find all of the past newsletters and the subjects they covered:
*Please be advised that some information on the newsletters is now out-of-date. We recommend that you refer to the highlighted topics or more recent newsletters for the most up-to-date information.
2024
Topic
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Date
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Information about the approved court claim form
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December 2024
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New video about the WRIA 1 adjudication process; Court claim form mailing details
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November 2024
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Court claim form update, accessing more information
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October 2024
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Water use calculator, how defendants were identified
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September 2024
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Claimants defined, when can I file my court claim form
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August 2024
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First Superior Court hearing, well report information
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July 2024
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Adjudication fees, what if I don’t file a court claim form?
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June 2024
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Water rights documents, the WRIA 1 boundary
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May 2024
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Filing of the adjudication, adjudications in other states
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April 2024
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Why are we adjudicating? Homes on wells
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March 2024
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Receiving a summons, ways to file a court claim form
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February 2024
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Permit-exempt wells, who needs to file a court claim form?
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January 2024
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2023
Future water needs, water rights definitions
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December 2023
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What is a water right, and how do I know if I have one?
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November 2023
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Welcome to the newsletter, let’s talk about adjudication
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October 2023
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