YBSA Monthly Report, January 2019

YBSA Monthly Report
January 2019

Reservoir Storage (Acre/Feet) to Date: 200,000 acre/feet less storage than this time last year. As of January 29th, the percent capacity at the 6 storage reservoirs is at 44%. Regulated flow in the Yakima River at Parker is at 81% of average. Snow water equivalent for the Upper Yakima Basin is 74% and Lower Basin is 87% of average.

Climate Changes Effects: Northwest fish letter dated January 7, 2019 reported climate scientists prepare to help fish survive our regions rivers warmer weather conditions in 2015 will according to climate change models will occur every 10 years by 2050.

The changes will have a detrimental effect on the Yakima Valley. The report can be found at http://www.newsdata.com/fishletter/389/1story.html

Cle Elum Fish Hatchery: Fish Culturists at Cle Elum’s Spring Chinook Hatchery trucked 478,638 smolts (six-inch yearlings) from the hatchery to Thorp’s Clark Flats and to Easton, from where they will acclimate to the river water in concrete raceways before their release into the wild this spring. 233,745 more of them will be trucked to Jack Creek in the Teanaway sometime in mid-February.

Funding Available: Message from a Washington State Governor’s office Senior Policy Advisor that we do have flexibility within 32.5 million for Yakima Basin Integrated Plan (YBIP) and the 34.4 for Office of Columbia River (OCR) 2019-2021 budgets.

Kachess EIS: The Kachess Pumping Plan continues to be repaired. Three years have gone by without the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) being completed.

Go to www.ybsa.org for additional information.