The judges of the superior court of the county by majority vote may authorize water commissioners, appointed pursuant to RCW 90.03.680, to perform any and all of the following in a water rights adjudication:
(1) Appoint guardians ad litem for claimants under RCW 90.03.150 as necessary;(2) Hold evidentiary hearings to determine the facts underlying individual and multiple water right claims;(3) Hold hearings on all contested claims, objections, and stipulated agreements;(4) Issue decisions on factual and legal issues;(5) Enter default judgments, settlement agreements, and conditional final orders;(6) Cause the orders and findings of the adjudication to be entered in the same manner as orders and findings are entered in cases in the superior court; and(7) Provide such supervision of the water rights adjudication in connection with the exercise of its jurisdiction as may be ordered by the presiding judge and assigned water adjudication judge. All acts and proceedings of a water commissioner are subject to revision by the superior court as provided in RCW 2.24.050.
Added by 2024 c 268,§ 2, eff. 6/6/2024.