YBSA Monthly Report December, 2013

YBSA Monthly Report

December, 2013

Independent Review of the Storage Component of the Integrated Plan: YBSA has consistently supported the Yakima River Basin Integrated Plan but continues to be concerned with the storage component of the Plan. Our great valley depends on a strong agricultural sector to fuel every other sector of our economy. Planning for water security over the next 50-100 years in the Great Yakima River Basin is a critical point. Future generations are counting on us to make correct decisions today. Our core values include economic growth and stability, and environmental, agricultural, social and cultural sustainability. All must be protected and maintained.

The planning process is the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (Integrated Plan), which is proposed to be implemented over a 30 to 40 year period at a current estimated cost of about $4.2 billion.

As climate change becomes a reality and the threat of more severe and more sequential drought years increases, the need for additional water storage for the Basin is at an all-time high. The big question remains: Is the stored water, as proposed by the Integrated Plan, enough to meet all future water demands that are necessary to support a thriving economy and healthy fish population? If we wait for all of the pieces of the Integrated Plan to fall into place, 30 years or more, we may find out too late that it contains not enough water.

YBSA has entered into a contract with an independent consulting firm, Normandeau Associated, Inc., to review and validate the water needs and supply aspects of the Integrated Plan and to report on their findings and conclusions.

General Operating Guidelines for water Supplies Produced by Partial Implementation of Integrated Plan – Draft December 17, 2013: The first phase of implementation of the IP consists of constructing the K-K Conveyance to move water from Lake Keechelus to Lake Kachess, KDRPP/Kachess Inactive Storage, and Cle Elum Dam Pool Raise.

• K-K Conveyance will be      used in all years to reduce summer flows in the Keechelus Reach of the      Yakima River.
• KDRPP/Kachess Inactive      Storage is to be used only when proratable water supply for participating      water users in the IP is below 70%.
• The approximate 15,000      acre-feet of storage in the Cle Elum Pool Raise project will be used for      fisheries.

Instream Flows-With partial implementation of the IP and construction of the K-K Conveyance instream flows in the Yakima River from Keechelus Dam to Lake Easton will be reduced to 500 cfs in July and less that 500 cfs from August 1 through the first week of September. Flow objectives are not assigned to the additional water stored by the Cle Elum Dam Pool Raise project. The additional storage in Lake Cle Elum, when available, will be used for fisheries purposes and be used during a 1 to 6 week period.

Water Supply for Out-of-Stream Needs-The irrigation need to be met for single and multi-year droughts for 70% of the irrigation water right entitlement for each year is estimated for Kittitas Reclamation District, Roza Irrigation District, and Wapato Irrigation Project. In severe drought conditions this need could be as high as 300,000 to 400,000 acre-feet of additional supply. Participants will be allowed to draw water from inactive Kachess Reservoir pool to bring their water supply of up to 70% of their entitlements during drought years (when water supply is less than 70%). It is recognized that in severe drought years or in multiple year droughts, the inactive storage in Kachess Reservoir will be inadequate to bring water supplies up to the 70% of entitlement level.

Go to www.ybsa.org for additional information.