YBSA Monthly Report September, 2012
YBSA Monthly Report
September, 2012
H2O For The Next 100 Years: YBSA supports the Integrated Plan because it is the best vehicle to solve our long term water needs. YBSA has been the only advocate for significantly increased water storage for the Integrated Plan. Those reasons include instream flows, irrigation droughts, and climate change.
The Problems At Hand:
- The snow pack we depend on to sustain our current water supplies is receding each year.
- The current Integrated Plan does not include the estimated recession of the snow pack in its current capacity.
- The current plan calls for $5 billion dollars of your money to be spent on a plan that comes up short of water.
What To Expect If The ProposedPlanFallsShort Of Needed Storage:
- A devastating blow to the future of our sustainable resources that support our current economy.
- A massive decrease in jobs.
- The elimination of ability to substantially increase salmon recovery.
- An increase in water litigation.
Sockeye Salmon Runs:
- Inadequate water supply to sustain or enhance the life stages of the Sockeye Salmon.
- Temperature/Sockeye Timing – Sockeye passage can be delayed due to thermal blockage.
- Sockeye suffer pre-spawning stress due to this thermal blockage causing them to release their eggs downstream and reduce reproductive success.
Irrigation Drought Event:
- In the drought years 1992-1994 the irrigation level was as low as 37% of full supply.
- The frequency of severe drought is currently increasing.
- Banks delay refinancing depending on the snow pack report.
- Due to the increase in dry years and the lack of water to supplement the drought during these years it could mean devastating blows to our agriculture, fish, and economy in theYakimaRiver Basin.
Columbia River Water: With time immemorial Treaty Rights of the Yakama Nation for in stream flows to sustain anadromous fisheries being senior to all other water rights, and with climate change having the potential to seriously affect the reliability of in-basin stored water supplies, we are faced with the reality that the Columbia River pump exchange is the only source of “new water” to supplement our over-appropriated Yakima River system.
Central Washington State Fair: YBSA’s booth at the Central Washington State Fair asked the question, “Does the Integrated Plan, which was on display in the booth, provide water for the next 100 years?” The display also provided information on the use of Columbia River water to fulfill the need in theYakimaBasin. Water can be pumped during the time when electricity is generated by wind machines and not used. The water would be used for irrigation purposes which would free up the stored water in theYakimaBasin for fish enhancement including fish ladders at the reservoirs and instream flows needed in the lower 100 miles of theYakima River for returning Sockeye.
Allocation for a Completed Integrated Plan: Preliminary cost and allocation in percentages as presented at the September 26, 2012 Work Group meeting for a completed Integrated Plan are as follows.
- Total Cost $3.520 Billion
- Ecological Restoration 69.3%
- Agricultural Irrigation 20.7%
- M & D Supply 10.0%