2022 House Bill 5955

Give state power to replace reasonable groundwater use doctrine with permit mandate

Introduced in the House

March 22, 2022

Introduced by Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-19)

To expand the duty of the Department of Natural Resources to protect and conserve the natural resources of this state to the “public trust in those natural resources.” This is related to the proposal in House Bill 5053 to repeal the current legal doctrine that gives the owner of real property a property right to the reasonable use of groundwater, to the extent this does not diminish the ability of neighboring property owners to obtain water, and instead condition its use on state approval and regulation.

Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation