Bourne Water Bank, LLC
The Bourne Water Bank offers mitigation credits for year-round domestic use in the Teanaway River tributary basin and the mainstem Yakima River in Upper and Lower Kittitas County, Washington. We also provide mitigated water rights (i.e. Water Budget Neutral (WBN) determinations and mitigation certificates) for rural domestic supply in towns and cities surrounding Cle Elum and Ellensburg and others throughout Kittitas County. The mitigation is backed by reliable senior pre-1905 water rights that are suitable for much of the developable county as indicated by the green in the suitability map below. In addition, the Bourne Water Bank has completed individual mitigation suitability analysis to include large portions of the yellow, and even red zones. We also provide full service permitting and transaction services. We are happy to discuss your site-specific mitigation requirements.
Pricing and Fact Sheet
Areas Served and Packages:
The Bourne Water Bank serves the upper and lower Teanaway, mainstem Yakima, and Kittitas Valley with the following mitigation packages.
Upper Teanaway: Indoor only
Lower Teanaway: Indoor + Outdoor (up to 500 sq. ft. of irrigation)
Mainstem Yakima: Indoor + Outdoor (up to 500 sq. ft. of irrigation)
Kittitas Valley: Indoor + Outdoor (up to 500 sq. ft. of irrigation)
Mitigation Price and Fees:
Water Price: $4,500
Administration Fee: $3,000
Recording and Escrow Fees: $1,000
The price of both mitigation packages is $4,500. This is the price for the water. Additionally, there is a $3,000 administration fee which includes applying for the water budget neutral (WBN) determination, processing the mitigation certificate, and preparing all convents and documents to be recorded with Kittitas County. Recording, Escrow, and the water storage and exchange contract fees are estimated at approximately $1,000. These costs and the administration fee are covered by an all inclusive $4,000 processing fee. For transactions within the Teanaway, additional conservation fees may be required that are not covered by the processing fee.
The Process and Timeline
Step 1: Reach out to Bourne Water Bank. Using the contact form below, let us know your water needs and where you will be using water. We will review your location and needs for mitigation suitability. Kittitas County provides a useful website that you can use to search for general mitigation suitability criteria by parcel number or address.
Timeline: 48 hours
Step 2: Enter into a lease agreement. Once we know your water needs and confirm that our mitigation is a good fit, we will quote you a purchase price and provide you with a purchase and sale agreement for review and signature. The agreement details the price, water quantity, location of use, and contractual terms of the water sale. A non-refundable deposit (50 percent of the processing fee) is due when you sign the agreement. The remainder of the costs are due at closing.
Timeline: 72 hours
Step 3: Open Escrow. Once you sign the agreement and provide the deposit, we will open an escrow account and complete a Subdivision Guarantee on the property where water will be used.
Timeline: 1 week
Step 4: WBN Determination. Before we finalize our transaction, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) must complete a WBN (Water Budget Neutrality) determination that ensures your new use will not negatively impact the water supply in the Yakima Basin and that our mitigation is a good fit. Ecology requires a WBN application and supporting documents to make this determination. Once we receive the results of your Subdivision Guarantee, we will prepare a WBN application and provide supporting documents for you to review and submit to Ecology. Generally, it takes up to two weeks after the agreement is signed for us to provide you with the WBN application packet. Ecology’s WBN Determination can take between four to six months.
Timeline: Up to 6 months
Step 5: Closing and Recording. Once Ecology issues a WBN approval, we will prepare a mitigation certificate (“water right”) to be recorded on your property and deliver it to escrow. Our escrow agent will prepare a closing statement, and work with you on coordinating any final signatures and payments. Final payment will include the remaining processing fee, the purchase price of the water, and, if your property is within the Teanaway, a $500 fee to the conservation trust as required by Ecology. Once all documents and funds are received, our escrow agent will distribute funds and work with the county to record your mitigation certificate with the property.
Timeline: 2 weeks
Step 6: Once your mitigation certificate is recorded you can work with Kittitas County to get your building permit. All water use in Washington State must be metered. You can work with Kittitas County to enter their metering program when you apply for your building permit. The mitigation certificate does not need to be re-certified at any point and will stay with the property in perpetuity.
The Bourne Family
The beginnings of the Bourne Family started back in the 1990s when Jason and Danica met in high school. As their relationship developed, their shared love of the outdoors led to countless hours together discussing hopes for a future place to get away from the city – a simple place to get back to nature and unwind. Later, marriage and children not only bolstered this goal, but inspired them to create a legacy in the family for future generations to enjoy.
In the late 2000s, the Bournes felt they had found their spot – a 3-acre lot on the lower Teanaway River, with gorgeous river access, wide open pastureland, and true four-seasons weather. They purchased the lot with future plans to build, but soon began to hear grumblings from neighboring lot owners and locals about water restrictions. Then in 2009, the Department of Ecology imposed the county-wide water moratorium, sending landowners scrambling. Jason and Danica knew their property was worthless without a water right (officially called a Water Budget Neutrality Certificate, or WBN), and in a panic, went ahead and purchased one from the only water bank serving their area. After 18 months of processing time, $25,000, and many lessons learned, they finally obtained their water right. But the Bournes knew that the process they were put through was unjust and wrong.
A few years later, Jason and Danica found another lot for sale that was a dream come true – still on the Teanaway River, but bigger, quieter, and more secluded. After purchasing the land, they were faced with the same obstacle – obtaining a WBN certificate in order to obtain a building permit from the county office. But this time, the Bournes were prepared—associated with the deed of the property was a rather large water right. Knowing this, they started the process of converting a portion of this water right from the irrigation classification into residential, to allow them to build their cabin. But with the remaining water right unused, Jason and Danica realized they had an opportunity to help others with the same dream to build in such a beautiful and majestic area. So the Bourne Water Bank was established.
"Our goal is to give people an honest, straightforward, and competitively priced option to obtain a WBN certificate (water right) in the Teanaway and Yakima valleys so hopes can develop, dreams can be fulfilled, and memories can be made.”
