(1) Conservation district decisions pertaining to denial of approval or denial of certification of a dairy nutrient management plan; modification or amendment of a plan; conditions contained in a plan; application of any dairy nutrient management practices, standards, methods, and technologies to a particular dairy farm; and the failure to adhere to plan review and approval timelines identified in RCW 90.64.026 are appealable under this chapter. Department actions pertaining to water quality violations are appealable under chapter 90.48 RCW.

In addition, a dairy producer who is constrained from complying with the planning requirements of this chapter because of financial hardship or local permitting delays may request a hearing before the conservation commission and may request an extension of up to one year beyond the approval and certification dates prescribed in this chapter for plan approval and certification.

(2) Within thirty days of receiving a local conservation district notification regarding any of the decisions identified in subsection (1) of this section, a dairy producer who disagrees with any of these decisions may request an informal hearing before the conservation commission or may appeal directly to the pollution control hearings board. The commission shall issue a written decision no later than thirty days after the informal hearing.

(3) If the conservation commission reverses the decision of the conservation district, the conservation district may appeal this reversal to the pollution control hearings board according to the procedure in chapter 43.21B RCW within thirty days of receipt of the commission's decision.

(4) When an appeals process is initiated under this section, the length of time extending from the start of the appeals process to its conclusion shall be added onto the timelines provided in this chapter for plan development, approval, and certification only if an appeal is heard by the pollution control hearings board.