  |
|
|
Well before the 2006 Columbia River Bill was passed, Ecology and Federal partners were considering opportunities for storage in the Columbia River Basin. Based on Congressional direction provided in 2003, Ecology and the Bureau have been jointly considering a range of proposals to increase water availability in the Yakima River Basin, including the feasibility of the proposed Black Rock Reservoir with a capacity of 1.3 million acre-feet. In 2004, Ecology signed agreements with the Colville Confederated Tribes, the Bureau, and Columbia River Basin irrigation districts to study new incremental storage releases at Lake Roosevelt and the feasibility of Columbia River mainstem water storage.
The 2006 Columbia River legislation authorized further work on evaluating the feasibility of storage in the Columbia River Basin. Two-thirds of the $200 million authorized is intended to support the development of new storage facilities (RCW 90.90.010).
At this early stage in the Program, it is unclear what projects will serve the program objectives. Large storage offers economy of scale in terms of capital construction, operation, and management, but with the potential of greater environmental impact. Small storage has the potential for increased cost, but a lesser ecological “footprint.” Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) costs are unknown, but has the greatest potential for environmental benefit by returning cooler and cleaner water.
Ecology is evaluating several different surface storage (large and small)
and aquifer storage (pumped and passive recovery) options to determine which
water supply projects best meet the goals of the Columbia River Program.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
