YBSA Monthly Report
June, 2010

Work Group Committees: YBSA attended all the instream and out-of-stream committee meetings. The meetings identified the possible needs for instream flow in each reach of the river. The committee ruled out the need for water in the lower reaches of the river for spawning purposes. The out-of-stream committee reviewed water needs for types of agriculture practices and the amount of water needed to provide 70% to proratable districts during drought years.

Work Group Meeting: The Work Group meeting on July 28th will focus on conceptual engineering results for Yakima water supply projects. The two main storage projects identified are Wymer Reservoir off the Yakima River in the Yakima River Canyon and enlargement of Bumping Lake. Wymer would store approximately 162,000 A/F of water withdrawn from the Yakima River and Bumping would increase to 190,000 A/F. Bumping Lake enlargement which has been considered and rejected many times in the past 50 years due in large part to environmental concerns is opposed by the Seattle Audubon Society.

Karl Wirkus, Reclamation Pacific NW Regional Director, and Ted Sturdevant, Director of the Washington Department of Ecology, spoke to the Work Group at the June 23rd meeting. Karl said working toward a soluble tool box of solutions was necessary. Energy, power savings and production are important. Ted emphasized the process needed to meet the needs broadly. Not everyone will get everything they want. Climate change creates urgency in the Yakima Basin. Both gentlemen spoke highly of the process being used here in the basin to try to solve the water problems.

Water Needs: All the water in the Yakima Basin is already spoken for and our current supply system does not meet all of the needs for instream flow for fish and out-of-stream use. A letter sent to the Work Group of the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Program from the Boards of Commissioners of Benton, Kittitas, and Yakima Counties requested that the program provides an adequate water supply. We in the basin don’t want to get a second best solution. The counties encouraged the Work Group to make sure we get the water needed immediately to continue to build a stronger economy and to provide environmental benefits. The commissioners requested that the availability, costs, and benefits of delivering main stem Columbia River water into the Yakima Basin needs to be considered along with the other projects. There is a need to provide enough water in the basin for future use particularly due to climate change.

Water Needed: The economy of the Yakima Basin is primarily agricultural. In other basins in the Northwest, where fish need more water, the water has come from out-of-stream use. With climate change in our future, not enough water will be available in the basin to meet everyone’s needs every year. A proposal to increase salmon recovery in the Yakima Basin could lead to a reduction of water for agriculture, as has happened in other basins in the Northwest, without a large supply of new water in the YRBWEP being developed.

See updated information at www.ybsa.org

YBSA Monthly Report
May, 2010

IWRMP Work Group: The May Work Group meeting was canceled. The consultants, staff (DOE & BOR) and the instream and out of stream committees will meet to continue developing information for the June 23rd Work Group meeting

Washington Water Research Center at WSU: A request for a peer review of methods for a water needs assessment for out of stream use. The analysis of water needs will distinguish between non-proratable who have 100% water rights and proratable who in past droughts received less than 50% of their needs. The highest priority of the IWRMP plan is to address existing supply deficiencies. Climate change will be incorporated using simple percentage adjustments.

Instream Flow Needs Assessment: The staff and the instream flow committee will validate stream flow needs and prioritize by river reach. For dry years the focus will be on improving winter and spring flow habitat conditions, and meet out of stream demands in a way that maximizes benefits for fish. Instream flow needs at critical reaches of the Yakima River system should be identified.

Fish Habitat: The objective will be to quantify fish habitats and population effects of the IWRMP plan on Steelhead, spring/summer Chinook, fall Chinook, Coho, Bull Trout, and Sockeye. The habitat committee will describe the addition and subtraction of habitat available and population abundance of the six local fish species from fish passage, reservoir improvements, and projects that alter flow in the basin.

Fish, Agriculture, and Municipal Needs: After 6+ years and $18 million, the Yakima River Basin Storage Feasibility Study, completed by the Bureau of Reclamation, identified freed water for the Yakima Basin. With Pumped Storage providing for the out of stream needs for the Roza and Sunnyside Irrigation Districts between 400,000 and 600,000 acre/feet would be available for fish passage, habitat improvements, and flood plain expansion.

With the additional freed water managed to maximize benefits for fish an additional 500,000 to 1,000,000 anadromous salmonids could return annually. It appears that the evaluation by the out of stream, instream, and habitat committees could prioritize the available freed water that would be available during consecutive drought years and climate change.

Water Available May 31, 2010: USBR and NRCS Reports:

Basin Snowpack Summary Reservoir Capacity
Upper Yakima Basin 71% average Cle Elum 78% full
Lower Yakima Basin 97% average Kachess 86% full
Rimrock 87% full
Bumping 88% full
Total Available Capacity of the 5 Reservoirs
1,065,400
873,194 content May 31, 2010
192,206 acre/feet = 82%
The 1,000,000 acre/feet available when all 5 reservoirs are filled to capacity only provides 1/3 of the water needs of the Yakima Basin; 2/3 is provided by snowpack when available.

See updated information at www.ybsa.org

YBSA Monthly Report
April, 2010

Work Group Participation: Yakima Basin Storage Alliance (YBSA) continues to participate with the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project 2009 Work Group during 2010. The basin study effort will evaluate potential actions for addressing the water and aquatic resource needs of the Yakima River Basin. A goal of sufficient instream flows and out-of-stream needs during consecutive drought years is paramount to solving the water needs of the basin for future generations. Since all water in the Yakima Basin is already spoken for and potential climate change changing the amount of snow pack and the timing of runoff an inter-basin transfer of water using a pump/storage needs to be considered. A scorecard identifying the cost and benefit for more water and fish of each proposal is crucial when seeking funding for the plan..

Letter from Energy Secretary: Energy Secretary urges pump/storage investment to support an expanded electricity transmission grid. In a letter from Secretary of Energy Steven Chu in response to a letter from the four Pacific Northwest Governors stated pump/storage has unique potential in the Pacific Northwest. A percentage of wind generation has already been integrated into the region transmission system than anywhere else in the nation.

BPA: Stephen Wright, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), speaking to the water and power committee on natural resources of the United State House of Representatives stated pump/storage is one way to facilitate wind integration. Elliot Mainzer (BPA) testimony stated BPA is working with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on their study on various storage options including pumped storage.

Additional Benefits of Pump/Storage: In addition to water for fish, agriculture, and municipal growth pump/storage of Columbia River water for the Yakima Basin would provide an opportunity to support the region’s transmission system and could provide electricity for the Yakima Basin including the Yakama Nation electrical distribution system.

More Water: YBSA’s interest in creating more water for the Yakima Basin lies with a plan which would implement the three criteria listed in the legislation approved by Congress. The criteria included a more normal flow in the Yakima River for fish, not less than 70% of the water needed for proratable irrigation districts during droughts, and water for municipal growth for the next 50 years. The Yakima River Basin Storage Feasibility Study completed by the Bureau of Reclamation identifies a solution.

See updated information at www.ybsa.org

YBSA Monthly Report
March, 2010

Drought: The Yakima River Basin is facing another drought in 2010. YBSA will continue to seek a solution to drought conditions that affect salmon and the economy in the Basin every couple of years.

Work Group Direction: YBSA continues to participate in the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Program but are concerned with the direction it is taking. The plan does not provide the answer needed to create a more normal river to enhance salmon recovery, provide a minimum of 70% of water necessary for junior water districts, and provide sufficient water for municipal and industrial growth. With 67% of average snow pack available as of April 2nd and the reservoirs only partially full (see the Teacup Diagram below) any additional storage created in the Basin may not produce necessary results.

Only Solution: The only possible solution for salmon recovery and the economy is an inter-basin transfer and storage of Columbia River water for the Yakima Basin. YBSA has asked the Work Group to develop a scorecard that shows the amount of water available from each project. The scorecard should consist of such items as cost, the number of fish, and the cost/benefit ratio for each project. The habitat and fish portion of the Work Group plan fits nicely with the large amount of water that would become available with Columbia River pump/storage. Our concern is that if we create a program that does not provide the results necessary to correct our water problem, in the future we will be faced with the same problem we have at the present time, and it will cost a lot more to accomplish what could be done today.

PROVISIONAL DATA – SUBJECT TO CHANGE!

Average daily streamflows indicated in cubic feet per second.
Reservoir levels current as of midnight on date indicated.

See updated information at www.ybsa.org

YBSA Monthly Report
February, 2010

Comprehensive Watershed Planning: YBSA continues to endorse the criteria that were given to the Bureau of Reclamation by Congress which would find a solution to the frequent droughts (like what may happen in 2010) that occur in the Yakima Basin. The December, 2008 Final Planning Report/Environmental Impact Statement on the Feasibility Study which would bring and store water for irrigation purposes from the Columbia River to the Yakima Basin would have accomplished that task but was discarded because of cost. We need a program that provides enough water for fish with a more normal flow in the Yakima River, water to provide a minimum of 70% of the water needed during droughts for the proratable Irrigation Districts and water for municipal and industrial growth for the next 100 years.

YBSA believes that the following questions need to be answered before we adopt a plan. The proposed plan would not come close to solving the water problems in the next 30 years. The following should be documented in the discussion about the Integrated Water Resource Management Plan.
1. Pumping costs – the rate presented does not compare with the rates quoted for the Odessa Project, the Umatilla Project, and the pump/storage of Columbia River water (Black Rock).
2. Are the proposed projects economically justified and what are the benefits of each project pertaining to fish, instream flow, and drought relief.
3. Does the proposed direct pump of Columbia River water to the Yakima Basin take into consideration the restrictions to removing water from the Columbia during July and August and other months when ther is not an adequate supply in the Columbia River?
4. Since one of the goals was to return the Yakima and Naches Rivers to a more normal flow, there needs to be a study to determine the biologically based target flows needed in the Yakima Basin. That could be done by SOAC which exists today or an outside biologist with working knowledge of the flows needed from the head waters to the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia Rivers.
5. The proposed water supply surface storage projects should be evaluated as to the probability of being built because of environmental concerns.

Work Group Process: YBSA will continue to participate in the DOE/BOR Work Group planning process. The Integrated Water Resource Management Plan needs to be completed but not without a large amount of stored water for instream flow and fish.

Possible Drought: On March 10th the Bureau of Reclamation will report on the snow pack and water available for 2010. This will be the first report on the total water supply available for instream (fish) and out of stream (agriculture) use this summer. The report will provide the farmers an estimate of how much water will be available. Decisions will be made on what should be planted and how to manage the existing crops that drive the economy of the Yakima Basin.

Final Report: The Final Report of the Preliminary Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (IWRMP) for the Yakima Basin developed by the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (YRBWEP) 2009 Work Group includes a surface storage proposal as part of the IWRMP. If Wymer is the only storage reservoir that could be completed we would be left with insufficient storage to provide the water necessary for our economy. See the following table from the IWRMP Preliminary Report for the Yakima Basin which lists the preliminary implementation cost estimates.

Compilation of Preliminary Implementation Cost Extimates
Phase/Project Costs ($M) Low High Source
Phase I
Fish Passage (Cle Elum, Bumping, Clear) 125 150 Estimate based on Reclamation’s 2008 Fish Passage Draft PR, indexed costs to October, 2009 (assume Clear Lake = $5M)
Conveyance Improvements at Wapatox 2 4 Estimate based on 2008 Yakima Steelhead Recovery Plan
Roza Power Subordination No capital cost; lost revenue would be incurred
Chandler Power Subordination No capital cost; lost revenue would be incurred
KRD Main Canal/South Branch Modification 8 12 Estimate based on CH2M Hill 1999 report, indexed costs to October, 2009
Cle Elum 3’ Pool Raise 20 40 Estimate based on 2000 Cle Elum Improvements Project Cost Estimate Summary Report, indexed costs to October, 2009
Keechelus-to-Kachess Pipeline 55 65 Doubled Reclamation estimate from 2006 to account for twice capacity, indexed costs to October, 2009
Wymer Reservoir (162kaf)
Wymer Mitigation 1,200 1,600
10 10 Estimate from Reclamation FEIS and Ecology FEIS
Preliminary Ecology Estimate
Bumping Reservoir Enlargement (160-190 kaf)
Bumping Reservoir Enlargement Mitigation 600 1,000
20 20 Estimate $3,000-5,000/AF new storage
Preliminary Ecology Estimate
Reservoir Inactive Storage (100 kaf) 25 50 Estimate, assumed pump station
Municipal Aquifer Storage 4 6 Estimate
Groundwater Infiltration 40 100 20-50 kaf x $2,000/AF (assumes implementation, not just pilot)
Mainstem Floodplain Restoration 90 110
Habitat Enhancement Projects 50 70 Habitat Enhancement Subcommittee Recommendations
Agricultural Conservation (YRBWEP+ Enhanced) 300 300 Estimate from Reclamation and Ecology FEIS
Municipal Conservation 1 3 Estimate from Anchor (2007)
Facilitate Market Transfers No capital cost; $4-10M annual cost during drought (20-50 kaf x $200/AF
Phase I & II Evaluations 25 50
Subtotal: Phase I 2,575 3,590

See updated information at www.ybsa.org

YBSA Monthly Report
January, 2010

YBSA is pleased to see the Integrated Water Planning process for the Yakima Basin go forward under the direction of DOE. Our position has been for the last year to support the least cost alternative that meets the needs stipulated in Federal criteria. We believe it is imperative to compare these alternatives on an ”apples to apples” basis. We are working with our partners at Yakima, Benton and Kittitas to be sure this scorecard works for all interests.

We were pleased to hear from the Irrigation community that the BOR commissioner and the administration are supportive of water storage construction projects that provide a sustainable water supply for irrigation, environmental and municipal needs and have a power component and help compliance with treaty rights. We also know that the whole country needs projects that create lasting jobs.

The December 2009 report of the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project 2009 Work Group presented a “Preliminary Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (IWRMP) for the Yakima basin. The IWRMP consists of the following proposed phases: Phase I to be implemented within the first 10 years (2011-2020) following Congressional and State legislative authorization and funding, and Phase II potential projects for implementation in years 11 through 30+ (2021-2040) subject to results and findings from the Phase I projects and factors such as population growth, fish flows, and effects of climate change resulting in changed water needs.

The IWRMP report includes bar graphs on page 18 (Figures 3 and 4) showing the estimated Total Water Supply Available (TWSA) and irrigation proration levels which could occur with implementation of Phases I and II and a repeat of the water supply conditions during the three year drought of 1992-1994 and the single year drought of 2005. These graphs present a “false sense of security” for improving the water supply reliability in the Yakima basin because (1) the IWRMP currently includes projects that may be eliminated as the result of environmental issues and inadequate water and includes fish passage and habitat improvements which could impact the basin’s water supply, and (2) Phase II projects which may never be funded and implemented.

With the current snow pack far below average it is imperative we understand what the Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (IWRMP) has included to improve the Yakima Basin water supply. The bar graph below shows the TWSA and the irrigation proration levels for drought years 1994 and 2005 with the addition of Phase I projects under the following assumptions:

1. with all of the proposed Phase I projects implemented (water conservation, Wymer Reservoir, Bumping Lake Enlargement, tapping into some of the inactive pools at the existing reservoirs, and groundwater storage);
2. with all of the Phase I projects implemented with the exception of Bumping Lake Enlargement; and
3. with all of the Phase I projects implemented with the exception of Bumping Lake Enlargement and groundwater storage.

Phase II projects consisting of additional water conservation, inactive storage, groundwater storage, and pumping from the Columbia River are not included in the bar graph. These projects are dependent on future Congressional and State legislative funding 11 to 30+ years “down the road” after Phase I.

For additional information see www.ybsa.org

YBSA Monthly Report
December, 2009

Work group Integrated Management Plan: The Final 2009 YRBWEP Work Group meeting was held December 17th. A consensus vote (1-6) was taken. The comments raised during the vote ranged from agreeing to move forward (1), abstain because not enough information was available (4) on water supply projects, and some projects may be unattainable (6). Everyone agreed the process needs to move forward and include more detailed information on each element. The Department of Ecology and Bureau of Reclamation have $1.3 million available to evaluate each project. The Work Group process will continue in 2010 with additional review of instream and out of stream water needs, a description of each project, and environmental and legal constraints. Most of the storage projects proposed have been studied in the past and have been rejected.

Environmental groups and others oppose the enlargement of Bumping Lake. Bumping Lake enlargement would contain the majority of new water for the Yakima Basin.

YBSA Concerns: The new and expanded surface storage reservoir part of the integrated plan does not provide the water to solve the water supply requirements for fish, agriculture and municipal needs in the Yakima Basin. Climate change concerns, cost of each proposed project and the total cost of the IWRMP, identifying those projects that may never be built, how the benefits of the projects improve fish runs, and the amount of water provided during droughts need to be identified and quantified.

The estimated cost of the YRBWEP integrated water resource management program is estimated to be $4+ billion, without cost of operation, contingencies and mobilization. That amount mirrors the estimated costs of the proposed Columbia River Pump/Storage (Black Rock) with few of the benefits. The remainder of the management program, ground water storage, structural and operational changes, enhanced water conservation measures, market driven reallocation, fish habitat restoration and construction and operation of fish passage at existing reservoirs would continue to be included in the pump/storage project with sufficient water protecting our fish runs and our economy.

Score Card: A comparison of water supply and costs has to be included in a score card. The score card should compare the costs/benefits of the Integrated Water Resource Management Program with the Yakima River Basin Water Storage Feasibility Study (Black Rock). More than 500,000 salmon could return to the Yakima River with the additional water made available by the Black Rock Reservoir project. With stimulus money available for infrastructure and creation of more than 10,000 jobs needed to bolster the economy the pump/storage project should be proposed. Consensus by the Work group could move the Columbia Pump/Storage project forward.

Funds Given to Salmon Recovery Projects: Salmon recovery projects totaling more than $1.8 million were awarded Tuesday in four Central Washington counties. The State Salmon Recovery Funding Board approved the grants based on recommendation from local groups. Statewide, the board has allocated nearly $43 million to projects designed to improve fish habitat. Central Washington is home to two species listed as threatened on the Endangered Species List: the middle Columbia River steelhead trout and bull trout. Yakima County received the lion’s share of the area funding $1.1 million for four projects. Among them are removal of fish barriers on Cowiche Creek and Nile Creek, reconnecting Tepee Creek in Klickitat River subbasin to its floodplain, and relocating the levee at the county’s Eschbach Park, northwest of Yakima. The Kittitas County Conservation District will receive $328,500 to remove a small irrigation dam on the Teanaway River, northwest of Ellensburg, and modernize an irrigation delivery system. In Klickitat County, $265,650 was awarded to purchase six acres of flood plain that salmon use to spawn. The Benton Conservation District will receive $115,362 to install fish screens on 13 irrigation diversions. (Dave Lester YH-R) Projects have been funded over the past 9 years and come from Federal Government and matched by the State through the sale of bonds.

These programs continue to improve Salmon habitat in the Yakima Basin. They improve structure and operation of existing water facilities and fish habitat at restoration and enhancement in the Yakima River and its tributaries which are part of the Integrated Water Resource Management Program being considered by the 2009 Work Group. With the largest amount of additional water coming from the expansion of Bumping Lake and the environmental community and others opposed to the expansion, sufficient water for instream and out of stream use in the Yakima Basin is in jeopardy.

The drought in California is taking its toll. See http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6027412n&tag=api
For additional information see www.ybsa.org
YBSA wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year.

YBSA Monthly Report
November, 2009

The Economy: The Yakima Basin Storage Alliance continues to pursue the need for more off stream storage to protect and enhance our economy and environment. Without an adequate supply of water to increase the number of anadromous fish in the basin, guarantee a minimum of 70% water for proratable irrigation districts, and provide water for municipal growth including enough to recharge exempt wells, the Basin will start on an economic downward cycle. The number of jobs will decrease, fewer purchases will be made, and schools, cities, counties, and fire districts will have less money to provide vital services. When there isn’t enough water in the Basin to protect and enhance fisheries someone will determine who will receive the limited supply. In other basins, such as the Sacramento, the Klamath, and the Okanogan, fish have won out. If that would occur in the Yakima Basin our economy would be damaged and unemployment would increase.

New Water from Outside the Basin: We now have an opportunity to solve the water problem for future generations even with climate change. The solution is pump/storage of water from the Columbia River when it’s not needed in the Columbia River and use the water for irrigation purposes, freeing up large amounts of water in the Yakima Basin. The water can be used to address the Yakama Nation Treaty Rights, return more than 500,000 salmon to the Yakima River, provide the water needed to build fish ladders over exiting dams, and create many miles of fish habitat without damaging the existing environment in the Yakima Basin.

Will the Work Group Process Solve the Problem?: YBSA is concerned with the direction the Work Group is taking. We have asked repeatedly for a score card to be able to evaluate the costs, amount of water provided, how many more fish will be produced, and how long it will take to complete each project. YBSA’s request has been ignored so far and the Work Group is moving on making decisions on projects without important information. The Work Group is trying to find the least amount of water for the least cost with no regard to the urgency or the need for a large amount of new water in the Yakima Basin. The Phased approach proposed would allow a few projects to possibly get funded now with others being postponed or forgotten and never completed. We will be in the same position here in the Yakima Basin as we have been during the last 30 plus years. The Audubon Society provided a letter to the Work Group stating that they oppose the inclusion of enlarging Bumping Lake in the proposal. The other environmental groups expressed their doubt that Bumping Lake will ever be enlarged. Raising the elevation of Lake Cle Elum and/or pumping water from dead storage have been reviewed in the past and have been rejected. The proposed Keechelus-to-Kachees pipeline would only be useable and cost effective if climate change doesn’t reduce the amount of water available in the head waters of the Yakima River. Both the irrigation community and those interested in returning the Yakima River to its historical fish runs need to acquire water to accomplish those tasks.

Will a Package be Ready for Congress?: The review of the proposed components of the Basin Study and the Integrated Management Plan, including those which have been rejected in the past, will include eleven tasks and those tasks will be evaluated during 2010. In 2010 the DOE and BOR will spend more than $1 million evaluating the projects once again. The goal is a package to present to Congress. YBSA believes the package will be reduced to a minimum with very little water available to meet the Basin’s needs. The only additional water will be the water made available through conservation. Some of the other proposed projects for resolving water supply and stream flow may never come to fruition. Our elected officials are looking for a proposal which solves the water and fish problem. The package needs to produce enough water for fish and agriculture during consecutive drought years.

See www.ybsa.org for a comparison of pump storage vs the integrated management plan being reviewed by the Work Group.

The December 7th Work Group meeting has been canceled. Only the December 17th meeting will be held.

YBSA Monthly Report
October, 2009

Work Group Process: The Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (YRBWEP) Work Group has listed projects to be considered. (see attachments package phase 1, phase 2, & phase 3) The list includes a timeline that exceeds 25 years for completion. The list includes enlarging Bumping Lake, a 3 foot raise in elevation of Lake Cle Elum, extracting water from the existing reservoirs below the available storage, and a Keechelus-to-Kachees pipeline. Most of the projects have been evaluated in past studies and found to be insufficient due to environmental concerns; excess costs compared to benefits, and have failed in the past. The Combined Benefits of Phase 1 Projects based upon 2005 hydrologic conditions is estimated to take at least 10 years for completion. (see attachment phase 1) The numbers represented in the Combined Benefits of Phase 1 Projects are an estimate if able to be completed. The estimated cost of the Water Supply Benefit Package was in excess of $4 billion and several billion more over 30+ years. (see attachment YHA Bumping Lake)

Columbia Pump/Storage Program: The Columbia Pump Storage Program as defined in the Yakima River Basin Water Storage Feasibility Study would provide water even during consecutive drought years. Construction costs of pump/storage from the Columbia River would be $4.5 billion as illustrated in Table 2.15 project costs.

Comparison of Phase I to Pump/Storage:
Water Supply Benefit
100 Year Term
0-10 Year Completion

Comparison of Proposed Phase 1 Projects and a Columbia Pump/Storage Program
Average Water Available Annually 2005 Conditions
TWSA Estimated TWSA With Storage During Drought 2005 Carry Over Volume April-Sept. at Parker April-Sept. at Yakima Mouth July-Oct. at Umtanum Estimated
Cost
No Action 1.76 Million Acre/Feet N/A 0 12 Thousand
Acre/Feet N/A N/A N/A
Columbia Pump Storage Up To 800 Thousand Acre/Feet1 2.56 Million Acre/Feet 85% Increase 50 Thousand
Acre/Feet 500 Thousand
Acre/Feet
Increase2 500 Thousand
Acre/Feet
Increase2 More Normal Flow2 $4.56 Billion
Storage Study
Combine Benefit Phase I 300 Thousand Acre/Feet When Completed 2.07 Million Acre/Feet 25% Increase 15 Thousand
Acre/Feet 193 Thousand
Acre/Feet
Increase 131 Thousand
Acre/Feet
Increase 200 Thousand
Acre/Feet
Decrease $4+ Billion Work Group
Pump/Storage would provide 1.3 Million Acre/Feet Available Annually
1 Roza and Sunnyside Irrigation Districts would use all or some of the available water to fulfill their contracts for water.
2 Freed water would be managed for instream flow and fish.

Projects Funded with Columbia Pump/Storage
Columbia pump/storage enables us to have a more normal flow in the Yakima River.
 Provides an opportunity for management of freed water by fish biologists (SOAC)
 Makes water available for fish passage at existing reservoirs
 Reduces flip-flop
 Provides funding for fish supplementation facilities and other fish enhancement programs by the Yakama Nation
 Provides water to enlarge habitat area with additional water in all 5 reaches of the Yakima River
 Make Bumping Lake a fish facility with a large fish ladder to accommodate natural flow
 Provides more than 70% water for proratable irrigation districts in consecutive drought years
 Provides protection for fish, agriculture, and municipal growth due to climate change
 Allows for a more normal flow in the Yakima and Cle Elum Rivers
 Provides additional water for groundwater infiltration

Conservation Programs: Conservation programs will continue as authorized and funded under the existing Title XII Enhancement Program.

YBSA Goals: A large amount of stored water is necessary to ensure a healthy economy. Water is the lifeblood of the Yakima Basin. Ensure that climate change is considered when seeking a solution for more water. Find the lowest cost alternative.

The economy and fisheries in the Yakima Basin can not wait another 30+ years to find a solution!

See www.ybsa.org for more information.

YBSA Monthly Report
September, 2009

YBSA Emphasizes More Storage: Yakima Basin Storage Alliance continues to emphasize the need for more stored water for the future of the Yakima Basin. A study completed by the U.S. Forrest Service based on climate change in the Northwest shows that warmer weather in the region will likely mean more rain and less snow and that 25% of the last 50 years shows a severe decrease in water flow in the 43 rivers and streams.

Work Group Discussions: The Work Group members appointed by BOR and DOE have been meeting searching for a solution to address the lack of enough water for instream flow and fish, irrigation and municipal growth in the Yakima Basin. So far most of the discussion revolves around fish passage, habitat, conservation, and market based allocation. Discussions by the Work Group of potential sites for additional water supply included
1) Enlarge Bumping Lake – not environmentally sound and would not fill every year;
2) ground water storage – may have to treat water;
3) drain the existing reservoirs in the Yakima Basin below their historic lake beds – just planted sockeye in Lake Cle Elum;
4) Keechelus to Kachees pipeline – study shows neither irrigation or fish habitat benefits;
5) raise the elevation of Lake Cle Elum 3 feet – requires purchase of properties and installing riprap along the shoreline for 14,600 a/f of storage.
6) Wymer Dam in the Yakima Canyon – pipe water from Lake Cle Elum when available .

The current discussion on water supply does not identify the amount of water needed during drought years, the number of years it would take to provide the additional water, and the total cost. Interbasin transfer of water from the Columbia River to the Yakima Basin is a solution that would provide the water needed for the future of the Basin.

Groundwater Study: John Vaccaro, USGS Hydrologist, presented information on the Yakima Basin Groundwater Study. The final modeling of the groundwater will be done by next year. He stated two methods to address ground water depletion are (1) put more water in the system and (2) use surface water and less groundwater. Additional information can be found on the USGS website.

Kittitas Groundwater Moratorium: Excerpts from the Attorney General of Washington opinion on the groundwater moratorium imposed on the upper Kittitas County:
1) Ecology has the statutory authority to withdraw groundwater in an area entirely from appropriation if it lacks sufficient information and data to allow for making a sound decision regarding water rights. Permits may be issued for new water rights or authorized new exempt withdrawals when the new appropriations of water are mitigated by existing trust water rights;
2) Ecology is authorized to acquire water rights by various means and apply them to a “trust water rights” program. Trust water rights can be exercised if Ecology determines that “no existing water rights, junior or senior in priority, will be impaired.”

Jay Manning on Global Warming: Jay Manning, Director of Ecology of Washington State, stated in the CEO Magazine on Global Warming: “There will be a 60-80% loss of snowpack by 2060. In a basin like Yakima, there isn’t enough water to go around. To take that much runoff out of the equation causes problems for existing water users such as farmers, and it also creates issues for growth. Warming could also have a devastating impact on fisheries. And the human health impacts will also be great. There will be mortality, disease and pests that expand their range.”

Future Needs Solution: With the prediction by the University of Washington Climate Center, the U.S. Forrest Service and Jay Manning of a reduction of snow pack and water available, it is time to find a long term solution which will meet the needs of the Yakima Basin for the next 100 years. With all the predictions of less water available in the Yakima Basin the fisheries, agriculture, and the residence of the Basin cannot settle for less than a complete solution.

See www.ybsa.org for more information.