PUD almost ready to relicense dams

Draft water quality certificate received by PUD

EPHRATA — The Grant County Public Utility District received a draft water quality certificate from the state Department of Ecology for the Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project.

The draft certificate, received earlier this month, is currently under review by the utility district's management.

The actual document being reviewed, the "Draft 401 Certification," refers to Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act. It analyzes the effects Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams have on the Columbia River and places conditions on the PUD to protect water quality. The PUD has applied for the water quality certification annually since 2003, most recently October 2006, as a provision of the Clean Water Act.

Ecology is seeking public comments on the draft certificate prior to issuing the "Final 401 Certification." Information on submitting comments can be found on Ecology's Web site, www.ecy.wa.gov.

"Grant PUD will review the Draft 401 Certification and comment on proposed measures in the draft that management and staff believe to be in excess of those required by the laws and regulations of the state," said PUD spokeswoman Rita Bjork.

The draft certificate is one of the last milestones to be completed before a second 50-year license can be issued for the Priest Rapids Project. The original license expired in October 2005.

"We are committed to protecting the resources of the waterway that runs through our project and have taken proactive steps to meet water quality standards," said Stephen Brown, the PUD's director of natural resources. "Grant PUD firmly supports the importance of maintaining water quality and looks forward to submitting our comments on this draft document."

The draft certificate represents four years of work and deliberation between Ecology, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the PUD, American Rivers, the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission and federal fish agencies, said Jim Bellatty, manager of Ecology's water quality office in Spokane.

"We believe the draft gives us the reasonable assurance we need that these facilities will meet our water quality standards," Bellatty said.

When the Final 401 Certification is issued, the PUD has 60 days to appeal the requirements with the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board.