YBSA Monthly Report August, 2013

YBSA Monthly Report

August, 2013

Water Woes: (Excerpt from “Water Woes” article in the Northern Kittitas County Tribune, Cle Elum Washington by Bruce Coe)A public meeting was held in Ellensburg concerning the development of new wells outside the Upper Kittitas County Groundwater Rule Area. The proposal retains the concept of an exempt well which would allow 350 gallons a day, metered and with higher usage compensated with a mitigation plan. For a more comprehensive look at the proposed rules see www.co.kittitas.wa.us/cds/default.asp. See www.ybsa.org for complete article.

Climate Change Water Supply Impacts: Climate change scenarios in the Integrated Plan (IP) are described in the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS).³

Climate Change Water Supply Impacts on Total Water Supply (TWSA) in the Yakima Basin is described below. It lists the April 1^st TWSA estimate for the IP assuming no climate change and with three climate change scenarios.⁴

Decreases in TWSA affect the water supply available for out-of-stream and instream uses.  As a result the irrigation water supply available for junior (proratable) supply must be prorated in more years, the Title XII target flows over Sunnyside and Prosser diversion dams which are based on the TWSA estimate decrease and the instream flow objectives proposed in the Integrated Plan in the mainstem rivers and tributaries may not be met.

3  Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement of March 2012, pages 3-75 and 3-79.

4  Modeling of Reliability and Flows Technical Memorandum of June 2011, Appendix B, page 1 of 22 and Appendices D-1, D-2, and D-3, pages 3 of 22.

Go to www.ybsa.org for additional information.