YBSA Monthly Report June, 2006
YBSA Monthly Report
June, 2006
Salmon Restoration Roundtable August 16 & 17: YBSA continues to draw together speakers who will present the importance of Salmon recovery to the Pacific Northwest. Instream flow increases created when the big Black Rock Reservoir becomes operational will create a “homerun for fish in the Yakima Basin” as stated by Jeff Thayer, head of the Yakima office of the State Department of Fish and Game. Speakers representing government, Indian Tribes, and representatives of salmon recovery organizations will speak at the roundtable. The Executive Secretary of the State Building Trades will speak on salmon and jobs.
Yakima River Basin Storage Alternatives Appraisal Assessment: On June 17, YBSA met with the BOR and received the assessment report which eliminated Bumping Lake and the K-K pipeline. Wymer will continue to be studied until November 15 when Black Rock or Wymer will be carried forward.
BOR also held stakeholder meetings and a public meeting to present the results of the alternatives appraisal. The feasibility study will be concluded in December 2008 after the environmental impact review is completed.
Recreation Economic Analysis: A committee comprised of members of YBSA, Yakima County Commissioner Mike Leita, Benton County Commissioner Max Benitz, and Port of Sunnyside Manager Amber Hansen met to develop a process to evaluate the potential economic benefit that recreation around the Black Rock Reservoir would have on the Yakima Basin.
Amber Hansen will chair the committee and prepare and distribute the request for proposal (RFP) by July 14 with a return date of July 28. A consultant will be selected after the July 25 date to do an economic benefits analysis. The RFP could address: 1) Is development reasonable given the fluctuating nature of the reservoir? 2) What are the most realistic comparable sites? 3) What elements would be included in the resort (hotels, restaurants, golf courses, campgrounds, etc.) and residential development? 4) Appraisal level costs by element.
Phase 1 of the study will be completed by September 15 and will be in the BOR’s November 15 report.
Meetings:
An update on the Black Rock study was presented to TRIDEC Agriculture committee. Discussion included how Black Rock would fit with the Columbia River Initiative.
Discussion continues with Jay Manning, Director of the Department of Ecology, about DOE’s role in the Columbia River Initiative and the salmon roundtable.
The YBSA Finance Committee met to develop a plan for creating the successful conclusion of the Feasibility Study of the Black Rock Reservoir and generating the monies needed to complete the plan. Discussion will continue at the next executive committee meeting.
YBSA executive committee will meet July 10 at 3:30 pm followed by the board meeting at 5:30 pm. The meetings will be held at New Vision in Yakima.
YBSA minutes 6/5/06
Present: Sid Morrison, Bob Hall, Tom Carpenter, Chuck Klarich, Robbie Stolz, David Bowen, Ron Rhielander, Charlie de La, guests: Derek Sandison-DOE, Kim McCartney-BOR.
Charlie-YBSA balance is 18 K, Need to have a finance committee meeting at Bob’s convenience. We are in both the House and Senate Budgets at $2.5 M the best position we have ever been in at this time.
BOR report-
Kim-drilling completed data is being sent to Frank Spaney of PNNL for analysis, draft report due end of June, final due end of July.
Kim-5/25 BOR meeting with Port of Sunnyside, YBSA and Economists from Denver.
Kim-BOR will report back to Amber with comments on list of points from Commissioner Benitz, by 6/15.
Charlie-YBSA needs to have from BOR a list of tasks and timeline and estimated costs for the rest of the study to make reports mesh.
Kim-Assessment report will be mailed out at end of the week=6/9.
Kim-will meet with Sid and YBSA Wed 10:00am to review report before release.
Kim-The Wymer site with Columbia pump report will be out in September.
Chuck-The Wymer Columbia pump is not what YBSA wants.
Sid- Jerry says the cost of the current study is estimated to total $17 million, of which $10 million has been raised at the Federal and State level.
Sid- YBSA will directly confront BOR if the projected benefits are less than 1:1.
Bob-we need to get our hands on the Davis lake tape again
Charlie- I gave it to Todd at Doc’s office, 3/05.
Sid-Derek, what about the State’s limitations on water withdrawal from Columbia in July and August?
Derek-Water availability out of the Columbia depends on funding. The Bill states 1/3 to instream flows and 2/3 to Ag. But Black Rock is an exchange and is water neutral.
Derek-We need to address the additional Study funding required for completion by BOR, from the State.
Bob-YBSA’s job is 2 fold: 1-Validate study and results back to our
Politicians-we have to have the task list + timeline and costs to do so, and 2-Explain the cost overruns.
Robbie-with the task list we need; by whom approval is required and where on the timeline too.
Sid-I tried to get Jay Manning to commit to speak at our Round Table August 15&16, his office answered that as he had been employed by groups opposed to storage in his previous life he could not speak to storage. That is not what the Governor told us, she is very supportive of building storage.
Bob-P/R efforts are lacking what are BOR/DOE doing here?
Derek-P/R has been event driven, which have been just a few outreach events up to now. The SEPA/NEPA process will change the intensity of efforts.
Sid-Jim Waldo spoke at the NWPPC mtg and said that re-watering the Yakima will require stretching resources to enact solutions.
Derek-There is currently a strong debate of flows vs habitat and/or temps.
Tom-I’m getting damned tired of people not seeing the only solution is big Black Rock! We keep spending on small items that keep small offices and jobs funded and done little to solve the real problem! The only effort that has had a major impact is the drain cleanup by Roza+SVID. Big Black Rock is the only one that has enough water to solve the problem!
Kim-YN has resubmitted the proposed contract-it is being reviewed by BOR.
Kim-covered the exposed land map showing the outline of the reservoir size at various drawdown levels.
Chuck-Amber and the Port of Sunnyside are waiting to meet with us to write the RFP.
Bob-it sounds like Yakima County will adapt Tues am, then we get the word to Benton County and they should have their vote Monday next.
Charlie-The consensus of those who attended the BOR meeting was that BOR was not going to come close to the $4B cost estimate in their benefit analysis, part of which is due to the BOR’s P&G requirements. We do have our foot in the door in that the BOR has agreed to add our Recreational Benefits piece to their work. They have told us that Recreation is not their specialty.
Chuck-We need to reevaluate the benefits of not only for Recreation but also power and fish and we will have to be creative to exceed the cost estimate.
Charlie-I am wondering if, to realize the maximum benefits, we may have to engage the private sector. We have heard from some who are in contact with large, interested, private investors, who say they hesitate to invest because the project would run by the BOR. They would rather invest in a responsible entity that has a valid long term business plan and can execute that plan.
Sid-I sense the BOR may not be the horse that builds storage for us.
Charlie-we could use the State to leverage that revaluation, they have more at risk, and are moving on the Columbia River project as the Lead Entity. And they have the money to leverage the BOR.