Several upcoming bills in the Washington Legislature aim to take on the state's convoluted water rights system, which balances two conflicting positions - that water is a public resource, and that water rights are private property.
Newly proposed legislation in the Washington Legislature would require waterfront homeowners along Puget Sound's 2,500-mile shoreline to consider fish-friendly fixes when replacing concrete seawalls.
Even with Democrats in charge of both houses of the Washington Legislature and the governor's mansion, the 2018 legislative session is far from a sure-fire win for environmentalists.
