The Washington Department of Ecology has come to a settlement with Whatcom County's RAN General Partnership and owner Rick Alamwala, defusing a legal dispute over unauthorized water use for blueberry irrigation. RAN and Alamwala, without acknowledging any wrongdoing or liability, have consented to pay $15,000 of a $20,000 penalty initially levied for allegedly irrigating 40 acres without proper water rights during the 2024 season, according to a recent announcement from the department.
The remaining $5,000 of the penalty hangs like a Sword of Damocles, only to fall should RAN incur any further violations in the next three years, part of the agreement made to sidestep the costs and uncertainties of extended legal entanglements; moreover, to ensure adherence to state water laws, Alamwala has pledged to install telemetric water meters that will provide real-time irrigation data to Ecology staff, who, in addition, will be granted access to the farm for compliance monitoring.
This settlement marks the second financial repercussion for RAN regarding the same premises, following a July 2023 penalty of $12,000, which the Pollution Control Hearings Board upheld. Such penalties reflect Ecology's rigorous stance on water rights and usage regulations within the farming community of Washington State, as detailed by the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Water is critical for farming, but state officials say RAN General Partnership and Alamwala are using far more than they’re allowed. Irrigating their 40-acre blueberry plot is estimated to take more than 17 million gallons a year. However, their water rights reportedly permit only 5,000 gallons a day. The Department of Ecology argues this exceeds legal limits under Washington’s strict agricultural water conservation rules.
