ECBID breaks ground on EL 86.4 irrigation system

OTHELLO — The East Columbia Basin Irrigation District was joined by landowners, key partners and elected officials for a groundbreaking ceremony on the EL 86.4 system Monday, according to a Tuesday announcement from the ECBID. Construction on the system began immediately after the event.

The EL 86.4 is an irrigation water delivery system for the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program. According to the announcement, the project will reduce the current normalized cost for landowners in the affected area.

Tom Tebb, Director of the Office of Columbia River for the Washington Department of Ecology, attended the groundbreaking ceremony and commented on the project in the announcement.

“This is a tremendous step forward for the OGWRP and our region,” he said. “This project has been a labor of love and many partners, elected officials, and landowners have come together over several years to get us to this point. This is an excellent display of collaboration, commitment, and dedication by all.” 

The statement said the project is a result of funding included in the state’s 2023 Capital Budget. $32.8 million in appropriations was allocated to assist in the planning, designing, engineering, development coordination and construction of eligible delivery systems in OGWRP to provide irrigation water to the acreage located within the project.

“We have been working toward this moment for years, and on behalf of the ECBID Board, I would like to thank everyone for their support and willingness to come together to get us here,” ECBID Board President Duaine Anderson said. “Everyone here brought the resources available to them for this project. That level of collaboration and partnership is incredible, and I’m thrilled to celebrate this moment with all of you.”

Of the grant-eligible systems, the EL 86.4 system is the first to begin construction and is the second OGWRP system to be constructed after the EL 47.5 system’s completion in 2021. Final design approval for the EL 86.4 was granted by the Bureau of Reclamation May 17. 

“I remember this land from when I was a young boy and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such tremendous progress,” Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, said. “This is a significant milestone for this region, our landowners, and our food system.”

The statement said OGWRP is a regional effort to implement the Odessa Subarea Special Study Final Environmental Impact Statement, building the necessary infrastructure for farmers to exchange valid, state-issued Odessa groundwater rights for Columbia Basin Project water. 

The East Columbia Basin Irrigation District is the largest district in the state, with authorization to irrigate 472,000 acres, according to the statement. Currently, 169,000 acres are developed and managed by 4,500 landowners within the federal Columbia Basin Project. Additionally, the district is involved in the development of 87,000 acres associated with OGWRP.

For more information, visit ecbid.org.

    Members of the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District Board of Directors hold shovels at Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the EL 86.4 irrigation system.
  

    Equipment sits ready for construction to begin on the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District’s new EL 86.4 irrigation system following Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony.