Brewster students join Rep. Engell at bill signing to cut red tape in rural water systems

Rep. Andrew Engell, R-Colville, and Log Church Christian School students at bill signing.

Students from Log Church Christian School in Brewster recently visited the Washington State Capitol in Olympia. While they met with legislators and toured the Capitol Campus, they were surprised by the opportunity to witness and partake in a bill-signing ceremony with their 7th Legislative District Rep. Andrew Engell, R-Colville.

"Sometimes the timing of things just works out," said Engell. "It was exciting to have my first bill signed into law by Gov. Ferguson, but having the students join me made it that much more special. They got to see the end of a long legislative process. They got to be in the room when legislation was signed and I appreciate that the governor was very cordial and interactive with them. I hope they were inspired and appreciate even more our form of government."

Engell's legislation, House Bill 1947, will make small water systems more affordable and accessible.

Water systems classified as Group B systems will no longer be required to be owned or operated by a satellite system management agency unless the water system:

• is required to provide treatment to meet water quality standards;

• provides fire flow;

• has atmospheric storage (is exposed to air); or

• serves 10 or more service connections.

"This legislation is going to benefit people who may want to share a small Group B water system," said Engell. "It removes the middleman required under current law. These satellite system management agencies (SMA) are certified by the state Department of Health. But on small, simple, and safe water systems, they are unnecessary and can be overly expensive for the services they provide.

"Anytime we can remove a layer of bureaucracy in government, especially when it comes to access to water and building homes, it should be considered a win," continued Engell.

Engell's bill passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and was also cosponsored by his 7th Legislative District seatmate, Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium. The new legislation will go into effect on July 27, 2025.

In another development at the State Capitol, a House committee has unanimously endorsed legislation sponsored by Sen. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, that aims to streamline the process for water-sewer districts to sell surplus property.

The legislation would update financial thresholds for property sales, doubling the current $2,500 threshold for the notice-of-intention requirement that water-sewer districts must meet when selling personal property. Additionally, the threshold for permitting private sales of real property owned by districts would increase to $7,500 from the current $5,000 limit.

"Senate Bill 5467 is a common-sense update that ensures our water-sewer districts can operate more efficiently without unnecessary bureaucratic delays," said Goehner. "By adjusting outdated financial thresholds, we're cutting red tape and enabling districts to manage their surplus property in a manner that makes fiscal sense, while maintaining transparency and accountability."