Derek Sandison

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Lake Roosevelt Incremental Storage
Releases - Project Update
Lake Roosevelt Forum
April 13, 2009
Presented by Derek Sandison Director, Office of
Columbia River Washington State Department of
Ecology
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Presentation Overview

• Project History
• Ecology Implementation Efforts
• Reclamation NEPA/Service Contract Processes
• Adaptive Management Strategy

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The Legislation

• Ecology directed to aggressively pursue
  development of new water supplies for both
  instream and out-of-stream uses
• Significant investment in new storage and
  conservation
• Capital authorization for bonds of up to 200
  million
• Operating 2.1 million and 15 FTEs
• 2/3 of funds for study and construction of new
  storage
• 1/3 of new storage for improving streamflows to
  benefit fish
• 2/3 of new storage for new out-of-stream uses
• 1/3 of funds for conservation and all other water
  supply purposes
• Legislative reporting on conservation and future
  water supply and demand

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Water Supply Development
Account Uses

• Assess, plan, and develop new storage
• Improve or alter existing storage facilities
• Implement conservation projects
• Any other actions to provide access to new water
  supplies (e.g., acquisitions, leases, marketing)

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The Foundation
Retiming winter water to the summer is a good
thing.
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Legislation Directives
For Implementation Focus

• Alternatives to ground water for agricultural
  users in the Odessa subarea aquifer
• Sources of water supply for pending water right
  applications
• New uninterruptible supply for interruptible
  water rights
• New municipal, domestic, industrial and
  irrigation needs in basin (RCW 90.90.020(3))
• Water for instream purposes

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2004 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

• Parties Reclamation, State (Ecology and WDFW),
  Quincy Columbia Basin Irrigation District, East
  Columbia Basin Irrigation District, and South
  Columbia Basin Irrigation District
• Purpose work collaboratively to secure economic
  and environmental benefit from improved water
  management within Project and mainstem Columbia
  River

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2004 Memorandum of Understandingcontd

• Provisions
• Study potential for mainstem storage
• Pursue Lake Roosevelt diversions for purposes of
  providing
• - Mainstem drought relief
• - Municipal and industrial water supply
• - First significant increment of water for
  Odessa subarea
• Explore opportunities for additional deliveries
  of water to Odessa
• Assess options for Potholes Reservoir
  re-operation
• Seek access to water stored in Canadian
  Reservoirs

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Lake Roosevelt Storage Release
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Lake Roosevelt Storage Release
Operational change of 1 foot annually and 1.8
feet during drought
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History Timeline
- MOU with BoR and Columbia Basin
Irrigation Districts - 2004 - Confederated
Tribes of the Colville Reservation studies
completed Summer 2007 - Supplemental EIS
scoping December 2007 - Draft Supplemental
EIS completed April 2008 - Final Supplemental
EIS completed July 2008 - Secondary Use
Permits (MI, Odessa, and Instream Flow) Fall
2008 - NEPA Spring 2009 - MOA Water
Service Contracts Spring 2009 - Adaptive
Management Strategy from Fisheries Co-Managers
Spring 2009 - Water Releases Summer 2009 -
Trust Water Decision Fall 2009 - Secondary
Use Permit (Drought/Interruptibles Instream
Flow) Fall 2009 - MI Permits and Drought
Permits Beginning 2010 - Odessa Water Service
Contracts - TBD
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How Should We Release the Water?

• FDR Release Issues (SEIS Process)
• Choices on Wet, Average, Dry, Drought Years
• Operating Level Constraints (Flood Control, Fish
  Migration, Recreation)
• Match Supply and Demand?
• Odessa (Yes)
• Municipal (No)
• Drought (Maybe)
• Maximize Fish Benefit?
• Mirror Fish Releases?
• Complement Fish Releases?

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Lake Roosevelt Storage Release

• Allocation for Odessa
• Demand is April to October
• East Columbia Basin Irrigation District
  allocation decisionscontracts.
• Infrastructure constraints
• South Interruptibility vs. North LIDs

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Lake Roosevelt Storage Release
Allocation for Municipal Needs Demand is
year-round, supply is not. There are
approximately 130 municipal and industrial water
right users with pending applications located
within one mile of the Columbia River.
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Lake Roosevelt Storage Release
Allocation for Interruptible Water Rights Demand
is April to October, supply may not match.
There are approximately 380 holders of
interruptible water rights in the Columbia River
Basin.
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Odessa Special Study

• Public scoping - September 2008
• Public Scoping Report - November 2008
• Draft EIS - April 2010
• Final EIS - April 2011
• Record of Decision - 2011

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Questions