YBSA Monthly Report December, 2011
YBSA Monthly Report
December, 2011
Comments on PEIS: The Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management
Plan Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Plan Draft PEIS is available at
http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/yrbwep/index.html for your review and comment. The
comment period began on November 18, 2011 and continues through January 3, 2012.
IP Work Group Early Action Items: The Early Action items presented to the Integrated
Plan Work Group December 14, 2011 included a request for funding for habitat
improvements, fish passage, subordinate power diversion, watershed land conservationland
acquisition, a tunnel to remove inactive stored water from Lake Kachess, a pipeline
from Lake Keechelus to Lake Kachess, and a pilot project for groundwater infiltration in
the amount of $14.7 million with an additional $6.2 million to continue to study storage
projects Cle Elum Dam pool raise, Wymer Dam and Reservoir, and Bumping Lake
Enlargement which have been rejected over the last 20 years.
YRBWEP Title XII: Improvement in habitat in the main stream and tributaries, fish
passage, conservation projects, Lake Cle Elum pool raise, and subordinate power
diversions have been authorized since the 1994 YRBWEP Title XII for the Yakima River
Basin.
Habitat & Conservation Projects Funding: Funding for habitat and conservation projects
have been provided by the Bonneville Power Administration, Federal and State
Governments for many years since Title XII was authorized. Since 1994 numerous
droughts have occurred which have been detrimental to salmon recovery and agriculture
in the Yakima Basin but additional storage to reduce the effects of droughts have not
been provided. Stored water has been identified as a critical need by Congress, the State
of Washington, and locally here in the basin.
Funding Grants: The Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board has just
awarded $585,813 for Kittitas County, $98,500 through a Yakama Nation Grant and
$508,887 to Yakima County ($1,193,200) for river improvement and habitat. Bonneville
Power Administration continues to provide funding for salmon recovery.
Inter-basin Water Transfer: A study of inter-basin transfer of water from the Columbia
River for use in the Yakima Basin is not included in the IP management plan until after
evaluation of the three storage projects: Bumping Lake enlargement, Wymer Dam, and
Kachess Reservoir Inactive Storage have proven unfeasible. The Yakima River Basin
Water Storage Feasibility Study an $18 million report includes information about the
inter-basin transfer of water and found that pumped storage would negate the effects of
droughts in the Yakima Basin.
Letter To NW Power Planning and Conservation Council: YBSA sent a letter to the
Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Council requesting they include in their
thinking the opportunity to blend wind, electrical energy, and water for fish and
agriculture with an inter-basin transfer of water from the surplus flows of the Columbia
River to the Yakima River. With climate change threatening the Yakima Basin an interbasin
transfer of water, a bucket for bucket exchange with the Columbia River would
provide the water needed for fish, agriculture, and municipal growth. Columbia River
water for irrigation on existing irrigated land would free up Yakima River water to create
the best tributary in the Columbia River system for salmon recovery.
YBSA wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
For additional information see www.ybsa.org