§ 1013 Fish Facility Lease Indemnity

• •The department can agree to indemnify (protect) the landowner when it leases land for fish screens, ladders, weirs, or traps.
• •The department may purchase insurance to cover any loss or expense that comes from that lease or easement.
• •This protection only applies to leases, easements, or rights‑of‑way used for the listed fish‑related structures.

The state wants to put a fish ladder on a farmer’s property so fish can get past a dam. The department signs a lease with the farmer and says it will hold the farmer harmless for anything that happens because of the fish ladder.

Because of this law, the department can promise the farmer that if any loss or expense comes from the fish ladder, the department will cover it, and the department can also buy insurance to help pay for those costs.