June to September 2025 Edition
Welcome to the online newsletter! You can peruse summaries of the articles below and navigate between pages using the links on the left. If you encounter any issues or would like to provide feedback, please contact us. Enjoy!
President's Message
Highlights of recent AWRA-WA updates, activities, and announcement from President Greg McLaughlin. Full article.
Annual State Section Conference 2025
AWRA-WA Annual State Conference: Registration is Open
Join us October 14, 2025 from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM at the Mountaineers Seattle Program Center for "Rethinking the Water Year: Aligning Supply & Demand in a Changing Water Resources Landscape". Through thought-provoking sessions and candid discussions, attendees will explore not only the challenges we face, but the opportunities ahead.
- Keynote: Dillon Honcoop, Communications Director, Save Family Farming: The Missing Link: Bridging the Gap Between Water Regulations & Emerging Realities to Build Future-Ready Communities
- Session 1: Shared Waters, Shared Solutions
- Session 2: From Crisis to Clarity
- Session 3: Student Section
- Session 4: From Drought to Deluge
- Session 5: From Guidelines to Groundwork
Don't miss the early bird registration deadline! Event details.
Mid-Summer Hydrologic Conditions Update
Washington State is experiencing its most severe drought in decades during 2025, with most regions receiving water supplies in the bottom 20th percentile and drought declarations expanded beyond the Yakima Basin to include the Cascades, north-central Washington, and parts of the Olympic Peninsula. The crisis is most acute in the agricultural Yakima Basin, where irrigation districts are receiving only 40% of normal water supply, reservoir storage hit record lows in August, and some districts have already shut off water deliveries—representing the worst conditions water managers have seen in their careers. The three-year drought has depleted groundwater reserves, caused fish-bearing streams to dry up mid-summer, and will require exceptional winter precipitation to prevent continued water shortages in 2026. Read more from Tom Ring.
Ecology Proposes New Permitting Program for State Waters
Washington's Department of Ecology is creating the state's first formal wetland permitting program in response to the Supreme Court's Sackett decision, which removed over half of Washington's wetlands from federal oversight. The new program would replace the current inefficient "administrative order" system with structured permits, exemptions, and public review processes for projects affecting state-regulated waters that no longer qualify as federally protected Waters of the United States. Learn about the new program from Van Ness Feldman’s phenomenal attorneys. Read about the program.
Student Fellowship Awards
AWRA-WA awarded three $2,500 student fellowships for 2024-2025 to graduate students conducting water resources research at Washington State universities. The recipients are Kaylyn Stewart (UW) studying PFAS removal using molecular imprinted polymers, Abdisa Kebebew (WSU) modeling wildfire impacts on municipal watersheds, and Maggie Egan (CWU) researching pre-restoration hydrology of the West Fork Teanaway. Along with the cash awards, recipients receive AWRA memberships, journal subscriptions, and conference admission, with the next application period opening in early 2026. Meet the recipients.
Summer Social Recap
The AWRA-WA Summer Social on July 10, 2025, brought together water professionals in Leavenworth for an evening exploring Vorterra Water™'s structured water technology. Hosted against the backdrop of wine tasting and networking, the event featured demonstrations of technology that claims to restructure water molecules for improved agricultural efficiency, though such molecular restructuring lacks established scientific validation in mainstream water science. Read more from Katherine Taiclet.
Recent & Upcoming Events
Get the scoop on upcoming AWRA and affiliate events. Read more.
AWRA-WA Job Board
There are no active job postings at this time, but keep an eye out for new opportunities in the next newsletter! Interested in posting a job opening on the AWRA-WA website? AWRA-WA sponsors can submit job postings for free! Please contact Tiffanie Ellis for more information.
Not a Member? Join AWRA-WA! Please visit the Membership page to register.
Thank You to the AWRA-WA Basin Sponsors!
Visit the Sponsorship Page or contact web@waawra.org for information about supporting AWRA-WA.
