WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Whatcom County farm has reached a settlement with the state over allegations of illegal irrigation.
The state Department of Ecology announced last week that RAN General Partnership will pay $15,000 without admitting guilt or liability to the incident from 2024.
My Bellingham Now previously reported that Ecology issued a $20,000 fine against RAN last year, claiming that the farm irrigated 40 acres of blueberries on a property west of Sumas that it didn’t have water rights for.
It was the second fine against RAN and its owner, Rick Alamwala, over illegal irrigation on the same property, following a $12,000 penalty in 2023.
Ecology says it settled with the farm this time to avoid the risk, time and cost of drawing the litigation out.
As part of the agreement, Alamwala will install telemetric water meters that will allow Ecology to monitor the site and make sure RAN doesn’t have any more violations.
Water management has become increasingly important in light of the drought emergency declared by Ecology in Whatcom County over the summer.
