The effect of groundwater pumping on minimum stream flows is a contentious issue in Washington State. WRC researchers, working with stakeholders, identified three alternative water mitigation strategies for meeting minimum in-stream flow requirements while providing water to 455 property owners lacking legal water rights in the Skagit Basin.  These strategies included water delivery in the upper Skagit through small-gauge municipal pipes or trucked water deliveries for direct household use or streamflow augmentation. WRC was able to estimate the current and future costs and benefits of implementing each mitigation option to help managers and policymakers evaluate potential mobile water delivery options that could provide solutions that may satisfy concerned parties.

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