Hastings secures more money for Odessa aquifer

Groups respond to congressman's support

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Doc Hastings boosted federal funding for work on the Odessa Subaquifer for next year.

This year, Hastings added $1 million. When combined with funding in President George W. Bush's budget request, support totals $1.19 million for the 2008 fiscal year.

The funding is included in the 2008 Energy and Water Appropriations bill approved by the full House Appropriations Committee. The House of Representatives is expected to approve the bill later this month. The Senate version of the 2008 bill also includes $1.19 million for the Odessa Subaquifer.

The federal fiscal year 2008 begins Oct. 1, 2007.

Hastings said he sought an increase this year to continue efforts to identify solutions and alternatives for irrigators dependent upon Odessa wells.

Hastings first secured dollars from the federal or state government in 2004 to begin exploring the extent of the aquifer's depletion and start finding solutions, and he added funds to keep work moving forward each year after.

The previous funding enabled the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to begin a study, currently under way, of how to get water to those depending upon the aquifer.

Odessa Aquifer Replenishment Coalition principal consultant Pat Boss said Hastings' support keeps the issue moving along.

"We need to have the issue moving along in a way which assures the public there's going to be an endpoint, there's going to be some progress on this project," Boss said. "Any time we can get funding to keep the issue in the public eye, and also keep the studies and activities moving along, that's pretty important."

Finding funding is competitive, Boss added.

"There's a lot of different projects people are trying to fund for water," he said. "Odessa's competing against the Yakima Valley and other parts of the state, so it's great Doc Hastings is able to come through with some funding."

"I think this is really good news for the study in terms of keeping it on track," Columbia Basin Development League Project Director Mike Schwisow agreed.

The study was initially proposed to take five years to reach completion and cost $6 million, with the federal government acting as a cost-share partner with the state of Washington in getting the study done, Schwisow explained.

"It is much more complex and difficult to get appropriations from the federal government and while we've had funding every year, the funding level has lagged behind the state contributions to the study," Schwisow said. "That's been OK, because initial phases of the study have been less extensive than what we anticipate down the road."

Schwisow said the study is moving into a phase of a more detailed and complex analysis requiring increased funding, which makes the federal support particularly timely. It allows the study to remain on track and on time to reach its 2010 completion date.

Come early fall, the bureau completes the appraisal level phase, which provides initial engineering, design and cost estimates of the alternatives being considered, Schwisow said.