Aspect recently welcomed Megan Wanlass to our Seattle office. Here are Five Questions we asked to get to know her better.
Megan Wanlass, Staff Water Rights Specialist
Megan and husband Chris.
1. Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here?
I am from Utah, specifically Tooele Utah, which is about an hour west of Salt Lake City. I met my husband, Chris, in 2016. Chris was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and had always hoped to come back. We came to Washington after he was offered a promotion at work, and we jumped at the opportunity!
2. What inspired you to pursue water rights? What made you curious about it?
I received my BS in Mining Engineering and initially applied to many job opportunities, including with Utah Division of Water Rights (The Utah equivalent to Ecology). I eventually started working with the Utah Division of Water Rights in the Adjudication section without really knowing anything about water rights.
I continued to pursue water rights in my career because I felt a sense of accomplishment in bringing clarity to water use and water availability, particularly in the west. I was most intrigued by the interpretations of water law and how that effects the decisions we made at work and how that might make a difference to the water users.
3. What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated?
What I like about water rights is that even though there are similar situations with each project, all of them are different and deserve different approaches. I am excited to see water rights from the consultant perspective and learn how the water law differs in Washington.
Bandit.
4. What do you like to do when you aren’t working?
I have always enjoyed painting, drawing, and other artistic hobbies. Recently I have been loving baking, cooking, and gardening. I also like to go hiking and site seeing with my husband and dog, Bandit.
5. Where would your dream house be located?
Now that Chris and I have moved to the state we ultimately wanted to live in, we would love to live on Whidbey Island. Chris grew up there and we often visit during the weekends. Ultimately, I would love to have a yard and be able to garden more!