Legislature passes bill to settle water-use dispute

One of the year’s most important legislative battles in Washington state came to a surprisingly quick conclusion last week when a water-use bill passed both chambers and was sent to the desk of Gov. Jay Inslee.

In 2016, the state Supreme Court’s Hirst decision essentially halted development across the state when it determined that counties were not adequately examining impacts on stream and river flow levels.

The decision weighed heavily on last year’s legislative session when Republicans refused to reach an agreement on a state capital budget until Democrats could devise an appropriate Hirst...