Joint Legislative Committee on Water Supply During Drought
Event Log
Alex Ybarra — Alex Ybarra introduced himself as the chair of the committee and as the state representative for District 13.
Alex Ybarra — Alex Ybarra is addressed during a procedural vote, then recognized in the vice chair nomination process, and finally asked to continue presiding over the meeting until the current agenda is completed before the chairmanship is transitioned.
Alex Ybarra — The speaker addresses and then thanks Representative Ybarra (mis-transcribed as 'Representative Vara'), making two back-to-back references within the same exchange.
Jesse Salomon — Identified as the current vice chair and noted as trying to join on Zoom.
Jesse Salomon — Reported to be having issues with Zoom and possibly joining by phone.
Jesse Salomon — Still noted as having Zoom issues and possibly joining by phone.
Jesse Salomon — Joined by phone, identified himself as representing the 32nd district, and congratulated Representative Reeves.
Jesse Salomon — Referenced in discussion about whether the chair position should go to a Democratic senator.
Jesse Salomon — Said he and Senator Salomon had discussed the chair issue and then spoke about the Democratic Senate members and openness to further discussion.
Jesse Salomon — Said the only Democratic senators are himself and Chapman, and that neither feels strongly about being chair.
Jesse Salomon — Said he is open to further discussion about any senator running the committee and thanked the chair for the time and discussion.
Jesse Salomon — Asked to be muted on Zoom so he could switch over to Teams for caucus.
Jesse Salomon — Named as a potential candidate for chair.
Jesse Salomon — Said to have expressed interest in leadership with the committee before.
Jesse Salomon — Jesse Salomon is addressed in a brief exchange and responds by expressing support and offering to help from the Senate side, reinforcing praise for the work being discussed.
Judy Warnick — Senator Judy Warnick introduced herself as a committee member and noted that she had served as chair off and on in the past. In the subsequent discussion about committee leadership, she was referenced as one of the senior members involved in the prior chair-rotation arrangement and later identified as one of the possible candidates eligible to serve as chair.
Judy Warnick — Recognized for extensive experience and deep respect in water policy discussions.
Tom Dent — Introduced himself and said he has worked on the committee since first elected.
Tom Dent — Named as one of the senior members involved in the prior agreement about chair rotation.
Tom Dent — Said a House Democrat vice chair would be appropriate out of respect for how the committee has been run.
Tom Dent — Praised for his comments.
Kristine Reeves — Kristine Reeves introduced herself as the new chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and the committee responded with congratulations on her chairmanship as part of the opening proceedings.
Kristine Reeves — Representative Kristine Reeves is acknowledged, then formally nominated for vice chair of the committee, and the nomination is brought to a vote, resulting in her being congratulated as the new vice chair.
Kristine Reeves — Mentioned as one of the incoming leaders expected to do a wonderful job next year.
Mike Chapman — Called on next after Representative Reeves' introduction.
Mike Chapman — Asked how committee membership is determined and whether appointments come from leadership.
Mike Chapman — Was told he is appointed by each chamber's leadership and remains on the committee until replaced.
Mike Chapman — Referenced in discussion about committee membership and the question being addressed.
Mike Chapman — His committee membership question was clarified in terms of his role as chair of the House and Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committees.
Mike Chapman — Said he did not remember being specifically appointed and asked whether the role is a statutory requirement.
Mike Chapman — Mentioned as one of the only Democratic senators and as someone who does not feel strongly about serving as chair.
Mike Chapman — Named as a potential candidate for chair.
Mike Chapman — Praised for his comments.
Debra Lekanoff — Introduced herself and welcomed Chair Reeves, noting the committee counterpart role.
Debra Lekanoff — Interrupted during the nomination process and raised a point of order about caucusing before elections.
Ron Muzzall — Ron Muzzall is introduced as the senator from the 10th legislative district and a farmer, then emerges as the focus of the committee’s chair selection. He is nominated for chair, discussed as a potential candidate and as someone interested in serving, formally moved into the chair position, voted on, and declared elected. Afterward, he is congratulated as the new chair and asks that Representative Ybarra continue presiding until the current meeting and agenda are complete, with the chairmanship transition to occur afterward.
Ron Muzzall — Mentioned as one of the incoming leaders expected to do a wonderful job next year.
Sage Park — Sage Park, Policy Director for Rosa Irrigation District, introduces Rosa and then continues into a presentation about the district’s severe water-year challenges. After brief audio/screen-sharing troubleshooting, Park describes Rosa’s scale and conservation efforts, including irrigated acreage, canal miles, crop value, canal piping, and drought funding already largely obligated. Park then outlines poor conditions heading into the 2025 irrigation season: low reservoir content, dry conditions, low snowpack and runoff, an early shutdown and possible earlier season end, and a declining water-supply forecast. Park explains how Yakima Basin water-right categories affect Rosa and other users, then walks through Bureau of Reclamation graphs comparing 2025 and 2024 precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage, emphasizing that reservoirs are very low and that Rosa is responding with delivery restrictions and a 10-day shutdown.
Sage — Sage finishes the presentation and the committee responds with thanks and praise for the informative remarks. A later speaker then refers back to Sage’s earlier comments about how rapidly the year has deteriorated, continuing the same discussion of Sage’s testimony.
Urban — Urban is introduced to speak about the Kittitas Reclamation District and surrounding area.