Decreased water levels will affect farmers, fish

SPOKANE - Farmers along the Columbia River may experience "water supply problems" because of the drawdown on the Wanapum Reservoir, according to the state ecology department.

Salmon and steelhead fish may also be affected, and fisheries experts and the Grant PUD are working on solutions.

Well users and irrigators who are concerned should call the Washington State Department of Ecology, that is currently tracking those affected by the 26-foot drawdown.

"We recognize this is a critical time of year when irrigators are starting to use water on their crops," Ecology Director Maia Bellon said. "We want to make sure that farmers using surface water and people with wells that may be connected to the river have secure access to it."

Bellon said that reporting water supply concerns or problems to the ecology department would help the agency to mitigate the effects.

"It is important that water users have the information they need and we will be as flexible as we can to make any related permitting as smooth and streamlined as possible," she said.

According to a Grant PUD statement, there are 10 irrigators who are authorized to withdraw surface water from the Wanapum Reservoir. District staff has been in contact with the 10 irrigators and informed them about possible effects to their water supply. They are also determining the best approach to each irrigator's situation.

A total of 150 diversions (a point that is permitted to remove water from the river), have been identified from Wanapum to Rocky Reach, according to Brook Beeler, of Ecology.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife experts are also monitoring water levels and fish activity in the reservoir as steelhead and some salmon are making their way upstream on the Columbia.

Jeff Corph, fish program manager with the agency, said that some spring Chinook salmon will be making their way to the Wanapum Reservoir in early April. The drawdown has rendered the dam's fish ladder practically useless, he said, and the agency will begin to catch and haul fish around the dam. He said the group will haul fewer than 10 fish per trip in the beginning and he hopes the PUD can fix the fish ladder or raise water levels before the majority of fish reach the dam.

"I am very confident that we will have a fix in place before the big fish runs get there," he said.

Managing Editor Lynne Lynch contributed to this report.