KUOW: Court Case Is The Latest Battle In Water Wars Of The Skagit River

The State Supreme Court supposedly put the case on Skagit River water to bed, in favor of the salmon. Yet, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is back in court again, defending fish and their treaty rights.

From KUOW:

“Washington State Supreme Court has ruled on this issue already,” said Larry Wasserman, referring to the 2013 State Supreme Court decision. Wasserman is the environmental policy director for the Swinomish Tribe, which is intervening in the Foxes’ case on Tuesday. He’s worked on this issue on behalf of the tribe for more than 20 years. “This is settled law and the science behind that rule and that law has been well established, well vetted and supported fully by the Washington Department of Ecology.”

The Swinomish and other tribes argue that the river has been depleted, bit by bit, as each new home or development has gone in over the years and no further groundwater depletion should be allowed.

Comments are closed.