May 22, 2013, the Bellingham City Club welcomed Tom McDonald, a highly respected “water lawyer” from Olympia who will fill us in on Western water law and how it impacts the upcoming decisions on who has rights to water in the 14 river sheds in Western Washington. Tom currently serves on the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board and is in private practice with a range of clients including businesses, local governments, the Washington River Conservancy and conservation organizations.
Mr. McDonald also identified the positions of the various interest groups wrestling with this issue, the risks to all of us if these interests do not resolve the issue and suggest good models for successfully resolving water rights that would benefit the whole community.