YBSA Monthly Report December, 2015
YBSA Monthly Report
December, 2015
Seasons Greetings Felices Pasqua
Lake Kachess: With predictions of an increase snow pack in the Cascades this winter and high costs, Roza Irrigation District terminated the plans to continue with its proposed 2016 Lake Kachess emergency temporary floating pumping plant.
Roza will continue to support the proposed permanent Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant to be able to access an additional 200,000 acre/feet of water from the Lake after all the water stored for irrigation is removed.
Keechelus-to-Kachess (K-to-K): The Keechelus-to-Kachess conveyance (KKC) project to increase the volume of water available in Lake Kachess continues to be reviewed. The proposed conveyance project to move the water, which started in 2013, is evaluating the use of a north or south tunnel and the intake and discharge of the pipeline.
Environmental Compliance Study: The Lake Kachess pumping project and the K-to-K conveyance environmental compliance study are ongoing and are to be completed during 2016.
Current Reservoir Levels: Currently the 5 reservoirs in the Yakima River Basin are at 53% of capacity. The reservoirs are at 136% of capacity for this time of the year. The National Recourse Conservation Service (NKCS) sites, which predict snow-water equivalent, in the upper Yakima Basin are reporting 124% of average and the lower Yakima Basin sites are reporting 133% of average.
Water available in the Yakima Basin during an average year:
- 2.4 million acre/feet has been approved under entitlements.
- 1.1 million acre/feet available for senior water right holders (non-proratable).
- 1.3 million acre/feet authorized (if available) for junior water right holders (proratable).
- 1.065 million acre/feet of water stored in the basin is available when all 5 reservoirs are full.The remaining water needed for instream flow (fish) and out-of-stream use (agriculture and municipal use) depend on snowpack.
Go to www.ybsa.org for additional information.