Wednesday, Dec 19 2012 9:25PM

Whatcom County, Washington, has hired legal representation in anticipation of a rural development dispute going to court.

Officials in Whatcom County, Washington, hired legal representation in preparations for taking a rural development dispute to court.

Despite pleas from county council members to first turn to the more cost-effective option of legal mediation, Whatcom has chosen to hire an attorney to settle a longstanding dispute about whether its rural development rules comply with state law, according to the Bellingham Herald.

Currently, the dispute's appellants argue that the county's new rules do not protect valuable habitats in Chuckanut wildlife corridor or the water quality of Lake Whatcom.

A piece of legislation called the "rural element" governs development statewide, including water system services, zoning and building sizes and codes, the news source explains.

The Growth Management Hearing Board, which has heard the dispute in recent years, is expected to make a determination on whether Whatcom's rewrite of development rules complies with existing state laws, the Herald explains.

Disputes over water and land are common in areas of Washington where natural resources are running scare and many Native American tribes seek to curb development on sacred and tribal locations. For example, struggles over water rights continue to persist in the Dungeness Valley among landowners, irrigators and Native Americans.

For more information, check out this resource: The Bellingham Herald