Columbia River BasinWater Supply Development Program

• House Bill 2860 (February 2006) established the need for a Columbia River Basin Water Management Program

• Directed the Washington Department of Ecology to aggressively pursue development of water supplies to benefit both instream and out-of-stream uses through storage, conservation and voluntary regional water management

Funding

• $16 million immediately to continue feasibility studies

• Created a Columbia River Basin development account of up to $200 million (sale of revenue bonds) to develop water supplies on the Columbia River for environmental and economic purposes.

New Water Supplies

• Alternatives to ground water for agricultural users in the Odessa-area aquifer

• Sources of water supply for pending water right applications

• A new uninterrupted supply of water for the holders of interruptible water rights on the Columbia River

• New municipal, domestic, industrial and irrigation water needs

Distributing New Supplies

• Two-thirds to out-of-river uses

• One-third to flows for fish migration

Programmatic EIS, Feb. 2007

• Future water management will be multi-faceted, not a single approach.

• Access to new water: conservation, acquiring existing water rights, expanding storage capacities, and entering into long-term water supply agreements.

• Priority to projects that are cost-effective, efficient, produce water quickly, and benefit both people and fish.

Water Development Program• Components include:

-- A plan to deliver water to the Odessa-area farmlands-- Continued study of off-channel storage sites-- Providing drought relief for interruptible water-right holders-- Implementing voluntary regional water agreements.

Four-part Test for aNew Water Right

• Is water available?

• Would the withdrawal impair a senior water right?

• How will the water be put to use?

• Is it in the public interest to put the water to use?

Possible New Storage Dams

• Potential off-channel mainstem Columbia River storage sites:

-- Hawk Creek (above Grand Coulee)

-- Foster Creek (below Chief Joseph)

-- Sand Hollow (above Wanapum) and

Crab Creek (below Wanapum)

• Potential capacity by site: 1.2 to 2.6 MAF

Current Projects

• Install water meters by June 30, 2009; cost-share funds became available May 1, 2007

• Help restore stream flows and fish stocks in the Walla Walla River and provide water to irrigators

More Information

• View the EIS: www.ecy.wa.gov