Basin to escape brunt of drought

Columbia Basin Project expects 80 percent of normal amounts

COLUMBIA BASIN — Less rain and snow have contributed to more concerns about the state of the state's water this year, but not in the Columbia Basin.

"We're definitely in a bad situation if it doesn't start raining," said Diana Cross, public affairs officer for the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Tuesday, before Gov. Christine Gregoire declared a drought emergency for the state.

Cross said the lack of rain and an unusually low snow pack this year have led to a scientifically determined long-term drought. It's been the case for about six years, she said.

"It hasn't rained, (there's a low) snow pack and we didn't have that much water storage going in, because last year was also bad," Cross said, adding that usually when a dry year follows a wet year, some water is able to be stored. "This many dry years in a row, it really taxes that system."

Cross said that the situation is bad all over the Pacific Northwest, not just the central part of Washington.

"Even Seattle has noticed that it hasn't rained," she said.

But Bill Gray, deputy area manager for the Upper Columbia Area office for the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation, said that the Columbia Basin has less to be concerned about when it comes to drought.

"For the Columbia Basin Project, we're actually very fortunate that our water supply really comes out of Canada," Gray said, explaining that water is diverted at Grand Coulee Dam, lifted out of Coulee into Banks Lake and then through the canal system. Recent reports have indicated 80 percent of average above Coulee, he said.

"From a historical standpoint, about 79 million acre feet of water annually pass Grand Coulee Dam," he explained. "Right now, they're projecting with the March forecast that we'll get 80 percent of that." On an average year, about 3 percent of the 79 million acre feet is diverted.

The Columbia Basin Project has a "fairly senior" water right on the Columbia River, he said.

"We don't see our diversions being affected, being the bottom line," Gray said. "We'll be able to deliver the water that is contracted for."

Potholes Canal was scheduled to open Saturday, which serves the south end of the project. The West Canal and East-Low Canal will open March 21.

"O'Sullivan Dam captures any return flows from the north end of the project and we use that to irrigate the south end," Gray said. "So we divert 2.5 million (acre feet) annually on average, but we deliver, if you look at all three major canals, about 3.3 to 3.4 million. So that's just the collection and reuse."

While it would be nice to have a higher percentage than 80 percent forecast, in comparison to other places in the state, the project is doing all right. The forecast becomes more refined as the year progresses, and there are more actuals than projections, Gray said.

"Our water users in the districts, for the most part, should get the water that they order and require," he said. "If they have their full water need, it shouldn't affect production value at all. They'll be in good shape."

Dick Erickson, manager of the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District, said that he is anticipating a normal water supply, but expecting high demand for water early in the season.

"The fields are so dry, (we) expect a lot of heavy water use in April," Erickson said.

While there have been a few calls from people wanting to be sure of what the drought situation is, Erickson said, the irrigation district is mostly fielding calls from people telling them they would like to have water as early as possible.

"We have several canal construction lining projects (and it is) going to take another ten days to finish those up," Erickson said Thursday.

Outside the Columbia Basin, some people with later water rights could be affected because of affects to the main-stem river. Gray said the Department of Ecology would need to work with them, depending on the forecast and the river.

"We don't anticipate any problems providing water to the Columbia Basin Project," he said. "But … that's a whole different story than just across the valley." The Yakima Valley draws their water from five primary storage reservoirs in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, which were short of moisture.

Sen. Joyce Mulliken, R-Ephrata, said with a chuckle that Columbia Basin Irrigation Project farmers have been living off six inches of rainfall for years, so they are used to the situation. The only thing to consider is diversion from the project to needier parts of the state, she said.

"Water rights will not be limited for water rights holders prior to 1980 on the Columbia River," she said, adding that any supplemental water rights for those holders would not be needed.

"The concern is in Yakima, but the Bureau of Reclamation has rights of about 70 percent of the Columbia River flow, which they put in canals for the irrigation system," Mulliken said. "There's no expected limit on the water that the Bureau can take out of the river. I think we're going to be fine. However, as a state senator, I have a concern for the entire state."

If attempts to create a Black Rock Reservoir Storage had been successful, Mulliken said, 1 percent of the surplus water would have been set up for diversion.

"It would have allowed up to three years storage capacity for the Yakima River Basin area," Mulliken said. "I believe this would be an excellent opportunity to recognize the need for the water storage. We wouldn't be having this crisis in eastern Washington if it had been addressed 20 years ago when it was first brought up. I hope this governor's administration will take the request for storage seriously."

Gray said that from a water management standpoint, the area is fortunate that the Columbia River originates in Canada, in the Columbia ice fields.

"It's just an entire different area, so we could be hit with a drought in one area, or reduced snowpack and precipitation, and not hit as bad, or not hit at all, in other locations," he said. "That's kind of what happened this year."

Gray said it is important that people continue to be good water managers and wise users of the resource, using what they need and no more, with the idea that every drop left in the river helps other users out.