Gov. Gregoire Announces Major Water Supply Projects for Tri-Cities Area
Press Release
Gov. Gregoire announces major water supply projects for Tri-Cities area
Delivering on her promise to shore up water supplies in Eastern Washington, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced three big Tri-City area water projects today.
"Nowhere is water more essential to the environmental and economic welfare of a region than here," Gregoire said during a stop in Kennewick. "These projects will help protect an agriculture economy that generates $3.1 billion every year for the region. They will provide water that's absolutely essential for growth and development. These projects also ensure that we will have more water in the river for our endangered salmon during the driest months. This is a triple win for Eastern Washington families, businesses and the environment."
The projects approved today will:
Allow early work on a major pump exchange project to bring water to Red Mountain and eventually double the flows in the lower Yakima River;
Test and pilot ways to store millions of gallons of Columbia River water in underground aquifers to be reallocated when communities and fish need it the most; and
Allow the state to issue drought permits to irrigators who face shutoff during dry water years; in return, the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association will manage water savings and efficiency programs.
The projects are funded or authorized through the state's landmark Columbia River Water Program. Negotiated by the governor and passed in 2006, the historic legislation breaks through decades of stalemate over water access to the Columbia River.
The Kennewick Irrigation District received $95,000 from the state to study the feasibility of bringing new water to Red Mountain, which has been identified as a highly productive grape-growing area. This is the first installment of a $15 million state investment the district will receive.
The KID project will test the possibility of moving KID's withdrawal point from the Yakima River to the Columbia River, supporting the lower Yakima River stream flows and fisheries and eventually increasing irrigated acreage.
"Bringing water to Red Mountain will open up one of the state's prime viticultural areas and exponentially contribute to the state's already successful wine industry," said John Jaksch, KID board president. "In addition, the exchange of Yakima River for Columbia River irrigation water will materially increase in-stream flows in the lower Yakima, benefiting endangered salmon and steelhead runs in the river."
The city of Kennewick received more than $1 million to explore ways to capture water during the winter and store it in an underground aquifer, then reuse the water during the summer months. At least one-third of any stored water would be used to support stream flows for fish migration and spawning.
"An aquifer storage system provides the flexibility to meet the interests of both the city and state to supply water to citizens and fish particularly during critical flow periods on the Columbia River," said Kennewick City Manager Bob Hammond. "It also provides an important alternative water source on the west side of our city."
Also today, Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association president Don Odegard signed an agreement with the state Department of Ecology. The agreement will provide drought permits to irrigators in dry years, while the CSRIA works with the state on pilot projects to develop more efficient ways to use irrigation water.
Much of the credit for these projects belongs to local legislators who joined a bipartisan effort that's making $200 million available to develop new water supplies from the Columbia River, benefiting farms, growing communities and fisheries.
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