Section 43.83B.415. Drought conditions—Loans and grants.

(1) The department of ecology is authorized to make loans, grants, or combinations of loans and grants from emergency agricultural water supply funds when necessary to provide water to alleviate emergency drought conditions in order to ensure the survival of irrigated crops and the state's fisheries. For the purposes of this section, "emergency agricultural water supply funds" means funds appropriated from the state emergency water projects revolving account created under RCW 43.83B.360. The department of ecology may make the loans, grants, or combinations of loans and grants as matching funds in any case where federal, local, or other funds have been made available on a matching basis. The department may make a loan of up to ninety percent of the total eligible project cost or combination loan and grant up to one hundred percent of the total single project cost. The grant portion for any single project shall not exceed twenty percent of the total project cost except that, for activities forecast to have fifty percent or less of normal seasonal water supply, the grant portion for any single project or entity shall not exceed forty percent of the total project cost. No single entity shall receive more than ten percent of the total emergency agricultural water supply funds available for drought relief. These funds shall not be used for nonagricultural drought relief purposes unless there are no other capital budget funds available for these purposes. In any biennium the total expenditures of emergency agricultural water supply funds for nonagricultural drought relief purposes may not exceed ten percent of the total of such funds available during that biennium.

(2)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, after June 30, 1989, emergency agricultural water supply funds, including the repayment of loans and any accrued interest, shall not be used for any purpose except during drought conditions as determined under RCW 43.83B.400 and 43.83B.405.

(b) Emergency agricultural water supply funds may be used on a one-time basis for the development of procedures to be used by state governmental entities to implement the state's drought contingency plan.

[ 1989 c 171 § 4.]

NOTES:

Severability—1989 c 171: See note following RCW 43.83B.400.

1989 c 171 § 4.