Governor Gregoire Signs Columbia River Water Resource Management Legislation; Historic Measure Breaks 25-year Impasse Over Water

For Immediate Release: February 16, 2006

OLYMPIA - Governor Chris Gregoire today signed into law the historic Columbia River Basin Water Resource Management bill that makes a new investment in the economic and environmental future of central and eastern Washington. The bill overwhelmingly passed both houses of the Legislature.

�The gridlock is broken,� Governor Gregoire said. �For 25 years, people have been wrangling over the best way to support the water needs of eastern Washington, and protect and restore our native salmon runs on the Columbia River. Now we have a road map towards achieving those goals. We broke through the stalemate because of the respectful consensus we built among our partners, who include the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, our tribal neighbors, farmers, environmental groups and communities up and down the Columbia River.�

Work on the bill began a year ago when Governor Gregoire asked House and Senate leaders from both parties to appoint members to a Columbia River Task Force to study the long-standing water management stalemate on the Columbia River.

The bill commits to developing new storage and water conservation projects on the Columbia River, provides a formula for allocating newly stored water, and creates mechanisms for jumpstarting conservation measures and improving current management operations on the Columbia River. One-third of all newly stored water will be allocated to support stream flows for fish. Two-thirds of newly stored water will be available for new out-of stream water uses, such as farming, industry and municipal growth.

�We�ve turned the corner on the water wars in the Columbia Basin,� said Jay Manning, Ecology director. �With this bill the bar has been raised and the environment will win as the economy wins. Perhaps just as important, Ecology is now a vested partner in developing water supplies for both.�

A copy of the bill may be viewed online at: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2860&year=2006

For more information, visit the Columbia Water Partnership pages on the Ecology Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/cwp/cwphome.html


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The Columbia River Task force included Ecology director Jay Manning, Sens. Jim Honeyford (R), 15th District; Bob Morton (R), 7th District; Erik Poulsen (D), 49th District; Craig Pridemore (D), 34th District; Reps, Bruce Chandler (R), 15th District; Bill Grant (D), 16th District; Timm Ormsby (D), 3rd District; Kelli Linville (D), 42nd District; and Dan Newhouse (R), 15th District.

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