Thursday September 25, 2008
WA: $46 Million in Columbia River
Grants Support Eastern Washington Water Projects
Source: Washington State Department of Ecology
Some $14 million in smaller grants will fund studies or construction costs for 14 conservation and storage projects sponsored by local conservation districts, irrigation concerns and watershed groups, while several larger projects are being funded in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Columbia Basin Project and other irrigation and tribal partnerships.
The grants were announced at a special meeting of the Columbia River Policy Advisory Group in Moses Lake. The panel -- representing a broad spectrum of interests including agriculture, cities, tribes, environmental groups and state and federal entities -- was consulted as part of the competitive grant process.
In 2006, the Legislature made $200 million available to develop water supplies that enhance stream flows for fish and meet out-of-stream water needs for cities, farms and industry in the Columbia River Basin.
Gov. Chris Gregoire said, “Water is absolutely essential to Washington’s environmental and economic welfare. It’s what allows our farmers to grow the foods we eat. It fuels an agriculture industry that generates billions of dollars for our state. And water is necessary to protect our fish populations. That’s why I am so pleased this grant money will allow the expansion of water supplies to Eastern Washington.”
Grants will fund a variety of projects from piping unlined irrigation canals to storing water both above and below ground, recharging declining aquifers, and making existing water delivery systems more efficient. Water saved through these projects will be made available for new water rights or released to the river when fisheries need it the most.
Jay Manning, director of Ecology, said: “These projects provide an array of opportunities to develop new water supplies along the Columbia River. They will help us to manage our water more efficiently and in turn make water available to support growing communities and declining fish runs. It’s a winning formula for the many competing interests along the river.”
Construction projects funded could result in as much as 7,435 acre-feet of additional water to enhance stream flows for fish and 1,449 acre-feet for out-of-stream uses like irrigation. The feasibility studies being funded could yield millions of acre-feet of water to support farms, cities, industry and the environment. The $46.4 million in funding is expected to generate near-term economic activity valued at $87 million.
These projects have been awarded funds in the first competitive grant cycle for the program.
Barker Ranch, $5.6 Million
Water delivery will be made more efficient by converting open ditches to a closed pipe system. The increased efficiency will allow Barker Ranch in Benton County to divert less water from the Yakima River, adding an additional 6,436 acre-feet (ac-ft) of water to stream flows when fish need it the most.
Lincoln County Passive Rehydration, $925,000
The funding will study the feasibility of rehydrating aquifers in Lincoln and Adams counties. The study will look at diverting water into dry stream to facilitate percolation into the aquifers for storage until needed.
Foster Creek Surface Water Storage, $93,750
The grant will fund studies of two potential water storage sites in Douglas County, one at Rock Island Creek and the other Foster Coulee. The Rock Island Creek Site would store approximately 60,000 ac-ft of water. Depending on the configuration of the impoundments, the Foster Coulee site would provide storage for 96,250 to 194,700 ac-ft.
Mill Creek Water Storage Project, $125,000
The grant will be used to examine the feasibility of a water storage site in Stevens County. Various dam heights will be studied with storage capacity ranging from 2,050 to 10,700 ac-ft.
Rock Lake Water Supply and Habitat Enhancement Study, $124,000
Funds will be provided to study the potential for small storage at Rock Lake in Whitman County. As much as 110,000 ac-feet of storage may be available.
Manastash Creek Restoration Project: Manastash Ditch, $376, 000
The grant will help pay for piping the Manastash Water Ditch Association’s earthen unlined ditch from the Kittitas Reclamation District’s South Branch to Hanson Road, approximately 4,440 feet. The resulting gain in efficiency will add 454 ac-ft to stream flows.
Boise Wallula Aquifer Storage Project, $4.5 Million
Funding will be provided to build an aquifer storage system in Walla Walla County. Water used for cooling a paper plant will be pumped into the aquifer and stored for later released as cold water into the river. The system will also provide a water savings of 1,657 ac-ft.
The Lands Council Beaver Population Enhancement and Water Storage, $30,000
The grant will pay for a study examining natural ways to re-time Spring runoff in North Eastern Washington. Specifically, it will determine if wetlands created by beavers could be used to slow runoff so that more water arrives at the Columbia River during the summer when it is needed. A pilot study will determine how much storage is feasible through a voluntary beaver introduction program.
White Salmon Buck Creek to Grand Ronde Aquifer ASR, $956,950
Funding is granted for construction of an aquifer storage and recharge system to inject surplus capacity water during the winter months into wells along the White Salmon River in Klickitat County. The water would be withdrawn during the summer months to supplement in-stream flows in the White Salmon River.
Campbell Creek Reservoir, $250,000
Grant monies will be expended for a study of construction of an off- stream reservoir that will store 500 ac-ft of water and release it to the Peshastin Irrigation District to supplant Peshastin Creek diversions in Chelan County. Releases will occur in July through September.
Franklin CD Irrigation Water Management, $78,000
The grant to the Franklin Conservation District funds a study to document and develop a program to capture the conserved water that could be gained by implementing Irrigation Water Management (Adams, Franklin, Grant, and Lincoln counties). It is estimated that the methods studied could yield as much as 394,400 ac-ft of water savings.
Storage at Goose Lake and 9 Mile Flat, $600,000
Funding provided for an appraisal study of two possible surface water storage sites in Okanogan and Ferry Counties, each more than 1 million ac-ft in size. Water will be pumped from the Columbia River to the storage sites on Colville Tribal lands.
Horse Heaven Hills Surface Storage & Conveyance, $170,000
The grant funds an appraisal study of diverting water from the John Day-McNary Pool during the winter and spring months to a new surface storage site in the Glade-Four-mile Sub-basin in Benton and Klickitat counties. A new conveyance system will also be studied.
Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie, $250,000
Funding is granted for analysis of the viability of aquifer storage and recovery in the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie aquifer. The plan will assess whether water diverted from the Spokane River or Lake Pend Oreille during high flow periods can be injected into the SVRP aquifer and gravity drain back to the Columbia River.
These projects are being funded in cooperation with the US Bureau of Reclamation, Kennewick Irrigation District and the Colville Indian Tribe.
Pinto Dam & Upper Crab Creek, $10 Million
The allocation pays for modifications to the existing Pinto Dam in Grant County. They are needed to allow larger flows into Upper Crab Creek. Likewise, road culvert replacement, land acquisition and the relocation of existing structures are necessary because of the increased flows in the creek and the increased flooding risk associated with them.
Odessa Subarea Special Study, $6 Million
The funds will be used to complete an environmental impact statement, a planning report, and other associated studies Ecology is conducting with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The study examines a number of options for replacing groundwater with surface water for use in irrigation. Finding a new water source for the Odessa Subarea is important because declining aquifers in the region could cost the state as much as $630 million dollars annually in regional sales and 3,600 jobs.
KID Pump Exchange, $15 Million
The funding, along with proposed federal and local funding would pay for new pump stations at Kiona and Edison Street in Benton County. Kennewick Irrigation District would forego a portion of their diversion at Prosser Dam in exchange for equal diversions lower on the Yakima and Columbia Rivers. The project will increase stream flows in a critical stretch of the Yakima River and provide irrigation to Red Mountain.
Mitigation Projects related to the Colville Tribes Agreement, $1.3 Million
One-time fisheries, cultural resources, and parks mitigation funding is incorporated in the state’s agreement with the Colville Tribes for storage releases from Lake Roosevelt. This commitment fully retires these obligations.
Contact:
Dan Partridge, 360-407-7139;
dpar461@ecy.wa.gov
Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-575-2610;
jred461@ecy.wa.gov