The Benton County Yakima River Storage Enhancement Initiative

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Yakima Basin A History of Vision and Investment
2
The Yakima Basin

• Entitlements in the Yakima Project total 2.5
  Million Acre Feet (MAF), 1.3 proratable
• Storage capacity in the Yakima Project is
  approximately 1 MAF
• Droughts in 1973, 1977, 1979, 1987, 1988, 1992,
  1993, 1994, 2001, and 2005

www.ybsa.org
3
Do We Need Storage ?

• Can we use existing resources with greater
  efficiency?
• YES
• Opportunities exist to conserve additional water
• On farm and through delivery system
• Modifies ecosystem - many irrigation created
  wetlands
• Opportunities exist to shift water from low to
  high value crops during times of need
• Impact to agricultural/economic diversity
• Dont confuse value with profit

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• Will these changes allow the foundation of the
  Yakima Basin Economy to survive?
• NO
• Requires additional capital investments in water
  storage
• Water demand is too great to be met by
  conservation and water marketing alone
• Either need to decrease demand (environment
  and/or ag)
• buy out or starve out ag users
• disregard instream flow requirements
• Or increase supply
• Build new water storage

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The Yakima Project

• Increasing demand on limited supply
• Changes in operation of irrigation reservoirs to
  protect endangered species
• Increase in Yakima Basin population

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The Yakima Project

• Increasing demand on limited supply
• Changes in operation of irrigation reservoirs to
  protect endangered species
• Increase in Yakima Basin population

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• Variability in supply
• increasing variability from climate change and
  susceptibility of Cascade snow pack

Spring Runoff
Courtesy PNNL
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Why Do We Care About Ag

• Fundamental to Yakima Basin Economy
• Total Crop Value of Yakima Basin - 1 Billion (no
  multiplier)
• Actual Crop Loss in 2001(35 proratable) - 250
  Million (no multiplier)
• Limited Opportunities for Economic
  Diversification
• Access to venture capital/major research center
• Yakima Valley Ag
• High diversity and productivity of crops
• Requires access to capital
• Limiting Urban Sprawl
• Answer to Urban Sprawl is Rural Economic
  Development

www.ybsa.org
9
Conservation First

• Conservation is and will remain a priority
• Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Program
• legislation passed in 1994 focused on
  conservation programs
• Conservation requires capital investments
• Capital weighs risk to reward
• Storage requires time

• time to decide between different storage
  alternatives
• time to review the impacts of storage
• time to design
• time to build
• time to fill
• time is now

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If Storage, What Kind?

• Upper Basin/Lower Basin
• Biological concerns with upper basin reservoirs
• Upper basin reservoirs use river as a pipeline
• On Channel/Off Channel
• Off Channel storage can have less significant
  environmental consequences
• Off Channel costs more to build and has higher
  operating costs
• Import Water/In Basin Flows
• Importing water has biological issues
• Importing water diversifies and reduces the risk
  associate with one supply of water
• In basin flows serve biological purpose
• Off Channel Habitat
• Placing reservoirs in dry areas can impact these
  habitats

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Storage Alternatives

• Initial Estimates from TCWRA indicate a need for
  0.4 MAF to meet 70 proratable instream flows

• Black Rock - (1.7 MAF)
• Yields 500,000 acre-feet per year
• Offsets irrigation withdrawals
• Huge benefit to in-stream flow (salmon)
• 350 MW Pumped Storage Power Plant
• Wymer Reservoir - (.14 MAF)
• Bumping Lake - (.4 MAF)
• Old growth forests/Douglas Wilderness Area
• Pine Hollow - (.015 MAF)
• KID Pump Exchange - (?)
• Cle Elum Lake - (.015 MAF)
• new estimates say land acquisition is very
  expensive

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Proposed Black Rock Reservoir

• Black Rock meets many of the concerns of storage
• Lower Basin
• Off Channel
• Imported Water
• Limited Habitat Impacts
• An idea that has merit - Benton and Yakima
  Counties invested 600,000 for reconnaissance
  level study initial development
• Bureau of Reclamation took over the project.
  Funded jointly by Washington State and U.S.
  Government

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Black Rock Valley
Valley has been in dry-land farming for the past
century Limited habitat Corridor between Arid
Lands Ecology Reserve Yakima Firing Center No
water in valley Limited cultural
resources Potentially a trade corridor for Native
Americans Settler Cemetery About 10 families live
in the Valley 3 to 4 households would need
relocation
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Bureau of Reclamation

• Yakima River Basin Water Storage Feasibility
  Study
• Section 214 of the Act of February 20, 2003
  (Public Law 108-7), states The Secretary of the
  Interior, acting through the Bureau of
  Reclamation, shall conduct a feasibility study of
  options for additional water storage in the
  Yakima River Basin, Washington, with emphasis on
  the feasibility of storage of Columbia River
  water in the potential Black Rock Reservoir and
  the benefit of additional storage to endangered
  and threatened fish, irrigated agriculture, and
  municipal water supply. There are authorized to
  be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to
  carry out this Act.
• Bureau Estimate (3-4 Billion) vs. County
  Estimate (1.8 Billion)
• Construction Escalation 200 million
• Dam 300 million (deeper footings)
• Pumping Plant/Roza Canal 200 million (more
  options)
• Mobilization 100 million
• Unlisted Items 200 million (forgotten stuff)
• Contingency 200 million (28 vs. 25)
• Bureau added 20 to 35 as a rule of thumb to
  get to 4 Billion

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Whats Next

• Bureau indicated it will continue with Black Rock
  as an alternative
• Other Columbia River storage alternatives
  direct pump
• Moses Coulee - 2.7 million acre feet
• Mission Creek - 400,000 acre feet
• Hawk Creek - 1.3 million acre feet
• Goose Lake - 2.7 million acre feet
• Foster Creek - 700,000 acre feet
• Governor Gregoire wants to stop talking about
  storage and build it
• What about proponents of other water storage
  alternatives?