Whatcom county farm settles water rights penalty

The Washington Department of Ecology and RAN General Partnership, and its owner Rick Alamwala, have reached a settlement over a $20,000 penalty resulting from the alleged illegal irrigation of 40 acres of blueberries in Whatcom County during the 2024 irrigation season. 

Alamwala and Ecology agreed to a settlement to avoid the risk, time and cost of further litigation. RAN and Alamwala agreed, without admitting guilt or liability, to settle the matter with RAN paying $15,000. The remainder of the original $20,000 penalty will be due if there are any additional violations over the next three years. Alamwala has agreed to install telemetric water meters enabling Ecology staff to see real-time data pertaining to water use on the site and allow Ecology staff to conduct site visits to monitor compliance. 

This was the second penalty assessed for the same 40-acre property. In July 2023, Ecology assessed a $12,000 penalty which was upheld by the Pollution Control Hearings Board. 

Based on irrigation guidance developed for Washington agriculture, Ecology estimated that irrigating the property required more than 17 million gallons of water per year. Ecology concluded that RAN General Partnership and Alamwala do not have the water rights that provide for irrigation of more than 5,000 gallons of water per day.