Improving water supplies and fish habitat in the Yakima River Basin without building a massive reservoir will be considered next week in Yakima.
A newly released environmental impact statement from the Washington Department of Ecology suggests that modifying existing facilities and operations, improving fish habitat on the Yakima River and its tributaries and expanding capacities of existing water storage options could work together in meeting water needs in the basin.
The integrated approach would attempt to accomplish what the federal government's feasibility study for a Black Rock Reservoir would have achieved, Ecology officials say.
Tim Hill, a public outreach specialist for Ecology's Office of Columbia River, said the state teamed with the Bureau of Reclamation to do a feasibility study for the Yakima River Basin that included several water storage options.
"It came to the point that there was more we wanted to look at, so we created a second environmental impact statement that is part of the package," Hill said.
The Ecology study, which also evaluates fish passage issues and explores water markets and other supply and demand options for the basin, was done in response to concerns raised by local irrigators and the Yakama Nation that the federal storage study was too narrowly focused.
Federal officials announced this spring that they would not recommend the Black Rock Reservoir option.
"We've got a number of alternatives that we think would work well integrated. But we'd like to bring in the stakeholders and see which ones they like. From there we would look at who would fund it," Hill said.
Ecology's report will be included in a public discussion from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 30 at the Yakima Area Arboretum. Participants expected to be there include representatives of state, federal, county and city governments, environmental organizations, irrigation districts, and the Yakama Nation. Representatives from the state's congressional delegation are also invited.
A variety of water resource problems affect agriculture, municipal and domestic water supplies, and fish in the Yakima River Basin. Factors contributing to water shortages include drought and increased demand. Other concerns include blocked fish passage to upstream tributaries, insufficient flows for migrating smolts, diking and vegetation damage.
The Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Alternative may be viewed at www.ecy.wa. gov/programs/wr/cwp/cr_yak_storage. html.
Copies are available by contacting Derek Sandison by phone 509-457-7120 or e-mail at dsan461@ecy.wa.gov.