Gregoire
signs off on water deal
Washington
State
Dept. of Ecology
March 28, 2008
Washington Gov. Chris
Gregoire signed legislation March 25 that will release the largest
delivery of new water to towns and farms in the
Columbia
Basin
, and for endangered
salmon, in three decades.
Thanks to a partnership among state, federal and tribal
governments, the new law will allow up to 82,500 acre feet of
water to be withdrawn from
Lake
Roosevelt
behind Grand Coulee
Dam beginning this year - and up to 132,000 acre feet of water in
drought years.
"This legislation delivers on the promise of the
Columbia River
bill we passed in
2006," Gregoire said. "It changes the very way we think
about water policy in this state. This year, farmers, towns and
fish will be receiving water in quantities that seemed unthinkable
until we showed what can be accomplished when we work together to
find solutions where everyone wins."
"This legislation strikes the right balance between payments
to the tribes and the use of state funds," said Sen. Lisa
Brown, D-Spokane, the bill's prime sponsor. "The economic
benefits throughout the
Columbia
Basin
from the additional
water make this one of the best investments we made all
session."
Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, another of the bill's sponsors, said,
"It really represents a new era of cooperation and trust
among legislators on both sides of the aisle, our federal and
tribal partners, cities and our agricultural and environmental
communities."
Under the agreement, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville
Reservation and the Spokane Tribe of Indians will receive an
annual payment of approximately $3.75 million and $2.25 million
respectively, adjusted for inflation. The funding doesn't purchase
water or water rights from the tribes, but is being provided to
enhance fisheries, protect the environment, preserve cultural
resources and other activities.
Local governments around
Lake
Roosevelt
will receive $2
million to address impacts from the release of the new water. The
additional water will bring stability to areas affected by the
dwindling
Odessa
sub-area aquifer,
which has been dropping at an average rate of 7 feet per year. Had
this legislation not been enacted, loss of irrigation water in the
area could have cost the agricultural region $600 million a year
in lost revenue and the elimination of 7,500 jobs.
The Lake Roosevelt releases, which will lower lake levels no more
than an additional 1.5 feet below current operations, will:
• Supply additional surface water to irrigators of 10,000 acres
of land east of Moses Lake;
• Offer more certainty to those who have interruptible water
rights in times of drought;
• Provide new water supplies to municipalities with pending
water right applications;
• Bolster the state's economy; and
• Help ensure the survival of salmon by increasing stream flow
in the river in late summer, when fish need it most.
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