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Department of Ecology News Release - Nov. 14, 2003
03-222
YAKIMA - Rule-making efforts are moving ahead as the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) works to develop a new plan for making Columbia River water-right decisions.
This week, Ecology issued a "determination of significance" and scoping notice announcing that the agency will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Columbia River Initiative (CRI).
The goal of the initiative is to create an integrated program for deciding how new water withdrawals may be permitted while also providing support for salmon recovery. The plan would guide the state on how up to 1 million acre-feet might be allocated for municipal and irrigation use over a 20-year period. A new rule is scheduled to get under way next spring and be adopted about a year from now.
Ecology also is studying the potential economic costs and benefits of diverting new water from the river, as well as what effects new withdrawals may have on endangered fisheries.
Currently, a draft economics report prepared by natural resource economists is being reviewed by the department and interested parties. A final document is scheduled for release in December.
The document outlines a range of potential economic benefits, depending on how much water is diverted from the river. According to the draft report, additional water withdrawals could provide a substantial number of jobs for the region.
"It's no surprise that water equals money. If there weren't an economic benefit, people wouldn't be lined up asking for water rights," said Gerry O'Keefe, manager of the CRI process. "In the months ahead, we will need to consider this alongside the scientific information that also is being gathered."
Next March, Ecology will release the results of a scientific study analyzing the risks to fish that could be caused by new water withdrawals from the Columbia basin. It will help the state decide if and under what circumstances new withdrawals may be made from the river without causing irreparable environmental damage.
"With a full breadth of information, we and the mid-Columbia region will be in a better position to make specific water-right decisions," O'Keefe explained. "In addition, we're looking at what might need to be done, such as habitat restoration, to compensate for new water diversions."
People will have many opportunities to participate in the rule-making and EIS processes, O'Keefe noted. Workshops and hearings are planned for next spring and summer.
Comments on what should be examined in the EIS process must be submitted by Dec. 12, 2003. Written suggestions may be submitted to Gerry O'Keefe, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, Wash., 98504-7600. Comments also may be submitted via e-mail at CRI@ecy.wa.gov.
A copy of the draft economics report is available online at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/cri/crieconrev.html.
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Contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, public information manager, (509) 575-2610
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
