Five Corners Family Farmers v. State

¶1 By statute, the legislature requires a permit to withdraw public groundwater or to construct a well to do so. RCW 90.44.050. The statute also provides exemptions from the permit requirement for certain uses. This case concerns the scope of one of those exemptions. We conclude that, under the plain language of the statute, withdrawals of groundwater for stock-watering purposes are not limited to any particular quantity by RCW 90.44-.050. Accordingly, we affirm the superior court’s grant of summary judgment to the respondents. We also affirm the superior court’s refusal to grant summary…