Details on Columbia River water plan available for review

Washington State Department of Ecology

Department of Ecology News Release - October 5, 2006

06-202

Details on Columbia River water plan available for review

YAKIMA - A draft environmental impact statement (EIS) addressing how the state should implement a new water management program for the Columbia River is available for review.

House Bill 2860, passed this year, directs the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) to lead an effort to aggressively pursue development of new water supplies for both in-stream and out-of- stream uses on the Columbia River.

Four open houses are slated for October and November where people may learn more about the program and provide comment on the proposals in the Columbia River Water Management Program environmental impact statement. Comments on the programmatic EIS will be accepted through Nov. 20, 2006, and should be directed in writing to Derek Sandison, Dept. of Ecology, 15 W. Yakima Ave., Suite 200, Yakima, WA 98902; or by email to: dsan461@ecy.wa.gov .

An electronic version of the EIS and a list of libraries where copies of the EIS may be viewed are available online at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/cwp/crwmp.html. Or copies may be obtained by calling (509) 454-7673.

Staff from Ecology will be available at the open houses to answer questions and share insight on the proposals outlined in the draft EIS. In addition, a draft report inventorying water supplies and a long-term water demand forecast will be introduced during the workshops. The water supply and forecast documents will be the basis for Columbia River water management decision making. The water supply and forecast reports are due to the Legislature by Nov. 15, 2006.

The open houses will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at these locations:

Oct. 24 - Moses Lake: Big Bend Community College, Advanced Technologies Education Center (ATEC), 7662 Chanute Street N.E.
Oct. 25 - Colville: Agricultural Trade Center, 317 W. Astor
Nov. 1 - Kennewick: Three Rivers Convention Center, Meeting Rooms E & F, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd.
Nov. 7 - Wenatchee: Wenatchee Convention Center (The Coast Wenatchee Center Hotel), Fuji Room, 201 N. Wenatchee Ave.

Proposals addressed in the draft EIS include a plan for delivering water to Odessa Subarea farmlands, a secondary feed route to the Potholes Reservoir, off-channel storage options, water conservation projects and voluntary regional water agreements.

Recent Columbia River Water Management Bill Milestones

Oct. 5, 2006 – Ecology releases the Columbia River Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Sept. 29, 2006 – In partnership with Ecology, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation identifies alternatives for replacing groundwater use, within the Odessa Subarea with surface water from the Columbia Basin Project. The report is known as the Odessa Subarea Special Study, a Project Alternative Solutions Study, or PASS for short.
Sept. 27, 2006 - Off-channel storage alternatives narrowed to four. The Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have narrowed to four a list of potential off-channel mainstem Columbia River storage sites that could help serve the future water needs of the Columbia River Basin. Sites identified for further analysis include Hawk Creek in Lincoln County, Foster Creek in Douglas County, Sand Hollow and Crab Creek, both in Grant County.
Aug. 18, 2006 - Columbia River Policy Advisory Group forms and holds its first meeting. The Columbia River Policy Advisory Group will help Ecology identify policy issues associated with implementing a new water resource management program for the Columbia River, provide Ecology with a range of perspectives on policy choices and priorities, and assist Ecology in setting criteria for funding of storage and conservation projects.
July 6, 2006 - Outside experts hired to prepare water supply and demand forecast. The Department of Ecology selects a group of outside consultants to begin work on preparing a water-supply inventory and water-demand forecast for the Columbia River. The data and recommendations contained in this first report will form the foundation for implementing the Columbia River Bill (E2SHB 2860) and will help state officials determine the extent of the need for water supplies that will rely upon the Columbia River
July 1, 2006 - CR Water management program bill officially takes effect.
June 25, 2006 -Walla Walla feasibility study: the first project to use funds from the Columbia River Water Management Bill. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation received $400,000 which will go toward a study to help decide the feasibility of two proposed projects. Both proposed projects are intended to put water in the river to protect threatened fish species while maintaining flows needed for farming. The first proposal is for a dam and water storage facility on Pine Creek above Weston. The second calls for water from the Columbia River to be delivered to the Walla Walla River basin in exchange for irrigators leaving an equal amount of water in the river.
May 5, 2006 - Scoping for programmatic Environmental Impact Study (EIS) announced. Public workshops on scoping held in Wenatchee (May 17); Colville (May 18) Moses Lake (May 22); Kennewick (May 23) seeking information on what should be covered in the EIS.
March, 2006 – Ecology adopts The Columbia River Implementation 12 Month Plan designed to identify near and longer term tasks and objectives that move the requirements of the Columbia River legislation (HB 2860) forward while building agency capacity.
February, 16, 2006 – Governor Gregoire signs legislation.
February 14, 2006 – Columbia River Water Management bill passed by the Legislature directing the Department of Ecology to pursue new water supplies on the Columbia River that benefit both environmental and economic values. The bill also authorized some $200 million to acquire water through storage and conservation projects.

# # #

Media contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, public information manager, (509) 575-2610