Spokane County saved some residents from controversial law with new water bank

Eight years ago, near the start of the recession, Judy and Bill Moxley bought five acres of land north of the city for $69,000. There, in the quiet, serene country with a couple of friendly neighbors, they would build a single story home. There, they thought, they would grow old together.

A few years passed with no construction, as they weren't immediately ready to build. But then, last year, the Washington State Supreme Court delivered what the Moxleys thought would be a death blow to their dream. Known as the Hirst decision, the court ruling blocked the retired couple from getting a building permit, because Spokane County couldn't say water from a domestic well would be legally available for the home.

"We thought we didn't have any hope," Judy Moxley tells the Inlander. "We thought we had all this money invested in five acres, and it had become worthless."

The court decision was supported by environmental groups like Seattle-based Futurewise, which brought the original litigation. In areas of the state like the Little Spokane River Watershed, an area north of Spokane that has low groundwater levels and strict regulations for obtaining water rights, the decision effectively halted any new development.

Read more: https://www.inlander.com/spokane/with-a-new-water-bank-spokane-county-has-saved-some-residents-from-the-effects-of-a-controversial-water-rights-law/Content?oid=7499833