Federal funds released for Columbia Basin water projects

COLUMBIA BASIN — The recent release of $55 million in federal stimulus money will fund construction on two area water projects this year.

Construction on the Weber Siphon Complex, about 12 miles east of Moses Lake on Interstate 90, is expected to start in late August or September, said Bill Gray, assistant area manager of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, on Friday.

The bureau received the money and it is in federal coffers, he confirmed.

The siphon project will allow the delivery of 30,000 acre feet of water from Lake Roosevelt to area farmers because of the extra siphon planned, he explained.

Gray said the project is on track. The siphon’s been designed and the designers will be putting the finishing touches on the project the first week of May.

The second area project is completing the construction of the Potholes Supplemental Feed Route.

Gray said construction on the feed route project will probably start in early August. The environmental work is completed.

He described the equipment additions as a backup for water delivery to the Potholes Reservoir, in which water can be moved from Pinto Dam to the Potholes.

The water is used for the southern portion of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project.

The $55 million is included in $1 billion package that went to the bureau for other projects in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. 

“From aging dams to outdated water systems, America’s water infrastructure needs immediate attention and investment,” stated Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. “The $1 billion we are investing through the President’s economic recovery plan will put Americans to work rebuilding our water infrastructure and tackling the complex and painful water challenges we are facing.”

“These investments will boost our economy, help farmers, businesses and communities get the water they need to thrive and restore aquatic resources in the West.”