YBSA Monthly Report March, 2011
YBSA Monthly Report
March, 2011
Integrated Plan Concerns: A review of the Proposed Integrated Plan identifies most of the water needs in the Yakima Basin but there is a question if the proposed solutions will accomplish what is needed to correct the problems. The Project that is being proposed is fragmented and will take years to implement. The water needs appear to be greater than the amount that can be provided by the plan. Fish are being short changed and the proratable rights probably would come up short if back to back droughts occur.
The following comments were sent to DOE and BOR. YBSA appreciated the chance to voice our observations and concerns to the proposed Integrated Plan. The following are some of the water supply elements that are inadequate to solve the needs of the Yakima River Basin:
1. Climate change forecasts indicate a need for additional irrigation water to sustain future increases for crop consumptive use.
2. Forecasts show increased drought frequency and magnitude. This will reduce the water supply available in the summer months and carryover.
3. Climate change will reduce snowpack storage and further reduce water supplies for crops and instream flows.
4. Ground water supply problems are not adequately resolved by the package and could lead to ground water adjudication which would most likely freeze federal investment.
5. The success of fish passage elements are severely compromised by inadequate volumes of water, which compromises smolt survival around the dams, and transit and production in the lower Yakima River. In fact we are displeased to see the plan further reduces the instream flows in the already degraded lower Yakima River.
6. We believe that higher flow volumes in the lower Yakima River are required to improve water quality problems of temperature, phosphorous and other parameters. We believe that DOE may be required by the courts to resolve these water quality issues.
YBSA believes the plan and process can be improved:
1. The current plan has not been adequately analyzed for costs and benefits which will inhibit national investment. This process must compare previously investigated alternatives by the same metrics, and is best accomplished with a scorecard or matrix.
2. The lack of financial analysis will inhibit political support. The public needs to know who is expected to pay and how much. We note that many items have yet to aired and public hearing are not far off.
3. We believe that the integration of pumped storage provides the financial strength to justify the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project, and the political support of a large constituency.
4. Sequencing the elements will lead to a piece meal implementation and breaking up the structure that is essential for everyone around the table to stand together, and we believe, is at odds with Representative Hastings written comments to the workgroup.
5. While we admire the ingenuity of the Department of Ecology in attempting to bring a number of environmental interests through uncertain and unpriced mitigation to support the Plan for water storage, the list of those who openly oppose Bumping and Wymer is daunting, and with the help of the ESA, other restrictive regulation, and the actions of individual citizens, history shows these two reservoirs will most likely never be built after decades of infighting.
Restoration of the Lower Yakima River: The Yakima Basin Storage Alliance (YBSA) believes substantially increased water supplies are imperative for the future well-being of the environment and economy of the Yakima Basin. We have been active in water issues individually for the past 40 years, and collectively since 2001, when we formed, to get Congress to start the Yakima Basin Water Storage Feasibility Study (completed December, 2008).
Water quality, salmon production, and habitat restoration needs to be improved in the lower Yakima River. This reach of the river is listed under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Actor for non-compliance with temperature and nutrient (pH, DO) standards. This condition impairs the designated uses of this reach of the river for salmon spawning, rearing, and migration. YBSA believes that addressing water quality problems in this reach is critical to the long-term restoration of salmon production in the Yakima River Basin.
YBSA believes the opportunities currently exist to address these water quality conditions in the lower Yakima River. However, effective action will require collaborative partnerships between the agricultural community, individual land owners, and Tribal, State and Federal agencies. We believe that YBSA, because of its membership that includes agricultural and business leaders, as well as individual land owners, is uniquely qualified to provide leadership and implement habitat restoration projects on the lower Yakima River.
With fish biologist Bob Tuck’s advice and leadership YBSA plans to initiate project formulation and coordination for the purpose of laying the foundation for project implementation. Specific restoration projects may include restoration riparian habitat, restoring flows in currently unused side channels, wetland restoration, and other types of projects that will address water quality deficiencies in the lower Yakima River.
Our long-term vision is the restoration of the lower Yakima River with respect to salmon production and creating water quality that meet Clean Water Act standards.
Information on a Columbia Renewable Energy Storage Project: See Attached document.
For additional information see www.ybsa.org