Ridenbaugh Press/Water Rights

The Bureau of Reclamation’s May 2013, Total Water Supply Available forecast for the Yakima Basin indicates a full water supply for both senior and junior water rights.

“The water conditions at the end of April in the Yakima Basin have reservoir levels above average while snowpack is near average at most sites and below average at a few.” said Chuck Garner, Yakima Project River Operations supervisor.

At this time both junior and senior water rights holders are expected to receive their full water supply. The water supply forecast will be updated each month through July. Specific water delivery levels will not be determined until later in the year when the reservoir system’s storage begins to decline.

The May TWSA forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of May 1, along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows. Other future weather conditions that determine the timing of the run-off and the demand for water are also critical in determining streamflows, reservoir storage, and the water supply available. “The upcoming spring and summer weather will have an impact on crop demands and stream flow levels. Water saved through good irrigation practices will help increase the amount of water in the reservoirs at the end of the season,” Garner said.

For more information visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/yakima.

Progress continues to be made as the Department of Ecology evaluates pending requests for new water rights based on a U.S. Geological Survey study that shows how new groundwater pumping affects flows in the Yakima River.

Water right processing in the Moxee and Wide Hollow subbasins is winding down, and Ecology plans to begin reviewing requests for new ground and surface water permits in lower Kittitas County next. Work remains under way in areas of West Richland, Richland, and Badger Canyon in Benton County.

Applicants are asked to consider a number of options to help the agency in making permit decisions in the context of study results.

The USGS study indicates new groundwater uses will reduce flows in the Yakima River. Also, some local aquifers are declining in response to pumping by existing water users.

“We’re finding that most people are setting aside their requests for water – an option that provides them time to seek needed mitigation or consider other alternatives,” said Sage Park, a water resources manager with Ecology.

Out of 293 applicants contacted so far, 126 of respondents have requested that their water application be placed on hold. Another 48 respondents have withdrawn their application and 15 applications have been denied. The remaining applicants have yet to return information on how they would like their water request to be processed.

Completion of the USGS study and computer model in the fall of 2011 provided the best scientific information available to make water right decisions and for achieving mitigation. It resulted from a legal settlement with the Yakama Nation and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that maintain new groundwater pumping only worsens the total water supply in the basin.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s March 2013 Total Water Supply Available forecast for the Yakima Basin indicates that there will be a full water supply for both senior and junior water rights.

“At this time the water supply for the basin is expected to be near to slightly below normal.” said Yakima Project River Operations Supervisor Chuck Garner. “February snowfall was below average until a series of storms hit the Cascades bringing amounts closer to normal. We’re anticipating spring conditions will have a significant impact on the final water supply.”

Reclamation will present water supply forecasts monthly through July. Specific water delivery levels will not be determined until later in the year after reservoir storage begins to decline.

The March TWSA forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of March 1, along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows. Other future weather conditions that determine the timing of the run-off and the demand for water are also critical in determining streamflows, prorationing, and the extent to which the reservoirs fill.

“The Yakima Basin weather outlook is favorable and the reservoir system storage on March 1st was a healthy 122 percent of average,” Garner said. “We expect the reservoirs to fill and the runoff to provide for early season demands.”

In the event that spring precipitation is unfavorable and runoff is below average, there still should be an adequate supply, but since weather conditions can be unpredictable at times Garner recommends that water conservation always be a consideration in the Yakima Basin.

Requests for new water rights that have been pending for many years in the Yakima River Basin are being evaluated using a recently finalized U.S. Geological Survey groundwater study of the Yakima River Basin, according to the Department of Ecology.

Letters have been sent to about 150 applicants for new ground and surface water permits in an area known as Sub-basin 31 in Benton County, which includes the areas of West Richland, Richland and Badger Canyon.

The requests for water are the next batch to be evaluated now that a study of the basin’s complex hydrology is complete. Water requests in the Moxee and Wide Hollow sub-basins were the first to be considered since the report’s release last fall.

Applicants are asked to consider a number of options to help the agency in making permit decisions about their proposed water use in the context of study results. Declining aquifers will make it difficult to approve water rights in some areas. In others, new uses may be approved if applicants receive coverage under an existing senior water right to offset or mitigate the expected impacts of a new withdrawal on the river and senior users.

An administrative hold on issuing new water rights has been in place due to historic water shortages and concerns that authorizing new groundwater pumping would only worsen the total water supply in the basin.

“We know people have been waiting a long time to learn the status of their water right requests, ” said water resources manager Mark Kemner. “We want to encourage applicants to contact us if they have questions and we’ll help walk them through this process.”

Some may want to consider mitigation options, while others may want to move forward with the request as is. Some applicants may no longer own the property for which the water requests were made and those applications may be assigned to new landowners. If that is the case, land owners need to contact Ecology so new owners may be given an opportunity to decide what to do about the water request.

The USGS study indicates pumping from underground aquifers draws water from the river and contributes to surface water shortages in the basin. The impacts are particularly felt in July and August when senior water right holders such as irrigators and fisheries need it most. The information in the study reinforces that ground and surface waters in the basin must be managed as one resource.

The model numerically characterizes the interaction between underground aquifers and surface water in the basin. It also provides the scientific information to identify when and by how much a new water withdrawal is reducing the total water supply. This can be useful for achieving mitigation to offset the impacts of new water permits.

Beginning in 1999, Ecology halted making decisions on requests for new groundwater permits in Kittitas, Yakima and parts of Benton County because of uncertainty about how pumping from underground aquifers influences surface water supplies.

Ecology, in partnership with USGS, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Yakama Nation launched the study to better understand the interaction between groundwater and surface water and develop a hydraulic model to describe what impact new groundwater pumping would have at various times of the year in the basin.

The request for the study was part of a settlement with the Yakama Nation and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation resulting from appeals of several dozen groundwater permits Ecology issued in 1993 in the Moxee Basin. In those appeals, both the Yakamas and Reclamation claimed new groundwater pumping intercepted surface water supplies and threatened fisheries and their more senior water rights.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s July 2012, Total Water Supply Available forecast for the Yakima Basin indicates there will be a full water supply for both senior and junior water rights.
“Water managers and fisheries can expect above normal runoff this season thanks to above average snowpack and reservoir storage,” said Chuck Garner, supervisory hydrologist.

The July TWSA forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of July 1, along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows. Weather conditions will determine streamflows, reservoir storage, and the water supply available.

“Weather changes which are not 100 percent predictable can influence both streamflow levels and seasonal carry-over storage which is why water conservation should always be a consideration in the Yakima Basin,” Garner said.

A recently finalized U.S. Geological Survey groundwater study will be used to evaluate water right applications in the Yakima River Basin, the Department of Ecology said on May 21.

Letters have been sent to some 116 applicants for new ground and surface water permits in the Wide Hollow and Moxee sub-basins letting them know their requests will be among the first to be considered now that the state-of-the-art scientific study and model is complete.

Released last fall, the USGS study indicates pumping from underground aquifers draws water from the river and contributes to surface water shortages in the basin. The impacts are particularly felt in July and August when senior water right holders such as irrigators and fisheries need it most. The information in the study reinforces that ground and surface waters in the basin must be managed as one resource.

Applicants are asked to consider a number of options to help the agency in making permit decisions about their proposed water use in the context of study results. Ecology anticipates that new water uses in the Wide Hollow and Moxee sub-basins will require mitigation to offset the expected impacts of a new withdrawal on the river and senior users. Mitigation may be achieved by obtaining coverage under a senior water right.

The model numerically characterizes the interaction between underground aquifers and surface water in the basin. It also provides the scientific information for identifying how mitigation may be accomplished to offset the impacts of new water permits.

“How water resources will be managed in the Yakima River Bain has been the focus of study and evaluation for two decades,” said Maia Bellon, Water Resources Program Manager for Ecology. “The USGS study tells us that water drawn from deep aquifers reduces surface water at a greater rate than previously thought. It is imperative that we protect the resource and the rights of senior water users. By doing so, we protect the tremendous economic and environmental values of the basin.”

Water is in short supply in the Yakima Basin, with rationing of irrigation water having occurred several times over the past 20 years, most recently in 2005.

“The good news is that we’re on the cusp of a number of water enhancement opportunities that should provide a profoundly different water future in the basin,” Bellon said. “Water leaders have embraced the goals of the Yakima Basin Integrated Water Management Plan to increase water storage and restore fish passage at the basin’s reservoirs.”

The integrated plan spells out a strategy for developing water markets to provide opportunities for new water uses in the Yakima River Basin through the acquisition of existing senior water rights.

“Until these long-term water strategies are in place, we’ll need to find a way to live within the resources available to us now,” Bellon said. “We’re inviting stakeholders to explore these options for water banks, water reserve programs and the sale and transfer of water rights to new uses. This will allow the basin’s agricultural and economic base to prosper while protecting its natural resources.”

For the last three decades, Yakima County Superior Court has been formally determining surface water rights through the adjudication process. The adjudication is near final and will codify senior surface water priority in the basin.

Beginning in 1999, Ecology put an administrative hold on requests for new groundwater permits in Kittitas, Yakima and parts of Benton County because of uncertainty about the legal availability of water.

At that time, Ecology in partnership with USGS, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Yakama Nation launched the study to better understand the interaction between groundwater and surface water and develop a hydraulic model to describe what impact new groundwater pumping would have at various times of the year in the basin.

The request for the study was part of a settlement with the Yakama Nation and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation resulting from appeals of several dozen groundwater permits Ecology issued in 1993 in the Moxee Basin. In those appeals, both the Nation and Reclamation claimed new groundwater pumping intercepted surface water supplies and threatened fisheries and their more senior water rights.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s May 2012, Total Water Supply Available forecast for the Yakima Basin indicates there will be a full water supply for both senior and junior water rights.
“We are expecting an above average water supply at this time,” said Chuck Garner, Yakima Project River Operations supervisor. “Above average snowpack and reservoir levels in early May will keep the Total Water Supply outlook above average even after the heavy runoff event we experienced in the last week of April.”

At this time both junior and senior water rights holders are expected to receive their full water supply. The water supply forecast will be updated each month through July. Specific water delivery levels will not be determined until later in the year when the reservoir system’s storage begins to decline.

The May TWSA forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of May 1, along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows. Other future weather conditions that determine the timing of the run-off and the demand for water are also critical in determining streamflows, reservoir storage, and the water supply available.

Washington Department of Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant has announced the appointment of members and alternatives to serve on an advisory board for the newly formed Lower Yakima Valley Groundwater Management Area.

In a letter to appointees, Sturdevant said the locally led effort has the great potential to address a long-term problem of nitrate contamination that threatens human health and the vitality of the lower Yakima Valley.

“Advisory committee members will help chart the direction and actions of the groundwater program and have a chance to contribute to its ultimate success,” Sturdevant said. “We’re looking forward to this board working collaboratively with the county and agencies to implement strategies to protect drinking water and prevent further contamination to soil and groundwater.”

Advisory members (listed below) include citizen and environmental representatives, agricultural scientists, conservationists, farm and irrigated agriculture interests, the Yakama Nation, local, state and federal health, ecology and geologic representatives.

Yakima County as the lead agency will conduct the first organizational meeting of the committee, to be scheduled later this spring.

“We fully support the committee and its mission,” said County Commissioner Rand Elliott. “We look forward to its recommendations for reducing nitrates in Lower Valley groundwater.”

In November, Sturdevant authorized Yakima County to develop a groundwater management program to tackle elevated nitrates in groundwater and drinking water in the lower Yakima Valley. In addition, Ecology has pledged approximately $300,000 in start-up funding for the Lower Valley GWMA.

In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found 21 percent of 337 wells sampled for nitrate were at levels greater than federal drinking water standards. Infants under six months of age, pregnant women, and other vulnerable populations may suffer ill health affects due to nitrate contaminated water.

A public hearing on the proposal was held in August in Sunnyside to gather input on Yakima County’s proposed actions to reduce nitrate contamination in an area from Union Gap to Benton City, not including the Yakama Reservation. This area comprises approximately 512 square miles.

Yakima County is a highly developed agricultural basin where land-application of nitrogen rich fertilizers, manure and leaking septic systems may be contributing to the elevated nitrate problem. The proposal to create a management area to address the pollution resulted from Yakima County’s collaboration with EPA, the state departments of Ecology, Agriculture and Health.

The Bureau of Reclamation’s March 2012, Total Water Supply Available forecast for the Yakima Basin indicates a full water supply for both senior and junior water rights.

“We are expecting a near to above normal water supply at this time,” said Chuck Garner, Yakima Project River Operations supervisor. “The February snowfall was well below average until late in the month when it surged to above average.” At this time both junior and senior water rights holders are expected to receive their full water supply. The water supply forecast will be updated each month through July. Specific water delivery levels will not be determined until later in the year when the reservoir system’s storage begins to decline.

The March TWSA forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of March 1 along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows. Other future weather conditions that determine the timing of the run-off and the demand for water are also critical in determining streamflows, prorationing, and the extent to which the reservoirs fill.

“The Yakima basin weather outlook is favorable and the current reservoir system storage is very healthy at 133 percent of average. We expect the reservoirs to fill and the runoff to provide for early season demands.” said Chuck Garner. “If spring precipitation and runoff are unfavorable we still expect an adequate supply but it may be below average.” He advises all water users in the Yakima basin to use their water prudently.

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire is urging Congressional and state support for a plan that bolsters water supplies in the Yakima basin and implements one of the most significant ecological restoration projects undertaken in the West.

“Water is the lifeblood of our state,” Gregoire said. “Our communities, our $1 billion agricultural industry and our fish all depend on a reliable source of water to survive and to thrive. I’m very pleased with the progress made by the Department of Ecology and the Bureau of Reclamation to reach agreement on the future of water in the Yakima River Basin. I urge that we move forward and implement this new program – the sooner we’re able to provide a constant source of water, the sooner our entire region will benefit.”

Last fall, Gregoire joined Rep. Doc Hastings and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in Yakima to garner support for the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan endorsed by a diverse group of water interests.

The plan calls for improving water supplies for the Yakima Basin Irrigation Project and providing fish passage at 100-year-old reservoirs in addition to other fish and habitat enhancements.

Today, the Bureau of Reclamation and Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) announced the release of a final programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) that evaluates the impacts associated with an integrated plan designed to meet the basin’s water and aquatic resource needs.

The Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan provides a balanced approach to addressing water shortages through additional surface water and underground water storage, enhanced water conservation, market-based water reallocation, and structural and operational improvements. The plan also improves the Yakima basin’s environmental health by protecting and enhancing habitat, providing fish passage at reservoirs, and making targeted land acquisitions on a willing-seller basis.

The Yakima River Basin stretches from the crest of Snoqualmie Pass to Richland, where the river drains into the Columbia River. It supports a rich farming base with crops ranging from timothy hay and mint, to perennial apple and cherry and peach orchards, and annual crops of asparagus, potatoes, and row vegetables relying on irrigation.

Increasingly frequent water shortages, coupled with predictions of reduced snowpack due to our changing climate, have brought once conflicting water interests to a common table in support of the plan.

In June 2009, Ecology and Reclamation brought representatives from the Yakama Nation, irrigation districts, environmental organizations, and federal, state, county, and city governments together to form the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (YRBWEP) Working Group to help develop a consensus-based solution to the basin’s water problems.

The goal is to seek authorization and funding from both the U.S. Congress and the Washington State Legislature to begin implementing projects outlined in the integrated plan. The work group adopted the plan in 2011 that led to the preparation of the EIS released today. Individual projects will each receive specific environmental review. The document serves as an umbrella framework for the entire plan.

The plan will be further refined based on the comments received during the programmatic environmental review and forwarded to the U.S. Department of Interior for authorization and policy consideration by Congress and the state Legislature in 2013.

Last summer, Gregoire joined state and federal leaders in Moses Lake to celebrate the construction of the Weber Siphon that will deliver water to the parched Odessa Subarea of the Columbia Basin Project. During that event, Gregoire directed Ecology to accelerate work to also provide a reliable water supply to the Yakima Basin, a long-time priority of hers.