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Department of Ecology News Release - May 1, 2009
09-098
SPOKANE – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued 16 new water use permits today for the Quincy Basin near Moses Lake.
The permits issued today went to people who applied for Quincy Basin “artificially-stored” groundwater (ASGW) several years ago and have been waiting for water to become available. The water permits are for irrigation uses, except that one permit will authorize using water for a dairy. The 15 permits for irrigation purposes range from two acre domestic lawns to 1,000 acre full-scale agricultural fields.
In the coming months, Ecology will issue dozens more permits to applicants who have been waiting in line for Quincy Basin water. Permits will be issued until 177,000 acre-feet of ASGW has been fully allocated, a limit set by state regulation. One acre-foot of water is equal to about 325,851 gallons of water.
The artificially-stored groundwater is water that has accumulated underground over many years as a result of the federal government’s Columbia Basin Project. The Columbia Basin Project provides irrigation water from Lake Roosevelt for more than 670,000 acres of agricultural land in the Columbia Basin.
“This is good news for a lot of people. The permits will allow additional agricultural production in the Columbia Basin, and the regional economy will benefit,” said Keith Stoffel, Water Resources Program in Ecology’s Eastern Region office.
The market value of the roughly 30,000 acre-feet of water that will be issued is estimated to be about $60 million. According to an economic analysis conducted by Ecology, the water is expected to add $12.7 million to the value of agricultural land in Grant County, $3.1 million a year in agricultural production and $60 million to the value of commercial land in the county. The communities of Ephrata, George, Moses Lake, Quincy and Warden will particularly benefit, as well as the farms, vineyards and businesses of Grant County.
Quincy Basin ASGW permits are jointly administered by Ecology and the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. Ecology is the agency that approves the permits, but those who receive permits also must agree to enter into a federal contract and to pay an annual water use fee to the Bureau of Reclamation. The permits are issued with a requirement that the water must be put to full use within three years.
For answers to frequently asked questions about the Quincy Basin permits, visit http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0911013.html.
For more information about water rights in Washington State, visit http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/rights/water-right-home.html
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Media Contacts:
Jani Gilbert, communications, 509-329-3495; email jagi461@ecy.wa.gov
Cathy Cochrane, communications, 509-329-3433; email ccoc461@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
