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Columbia River Basin Water Supply Development Program

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

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Columbia River Basin Water Supply Development Program

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  1. 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

  2. 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.

  3. 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

  4. Distributing New Supplies • Two-thirds to out-of-river uses • One-third to flows for fish migration

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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?

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. More Information • View the EIS: www.ecy.wa.gov

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