Agreements deliver water for farms, cities and salmon in Eastern Washington

For Immediate Release: December 17, 2007

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire announced two historic agreements today with Eastern Washington tribes to deliver water from Lake Roosevelt to the Columbia Basin for farmers, cities and endangered salmon.

Subject to legislative approval, the agreements facilitate the delivery of water from Lake Roosevelt to irrigators of 10,000 acres east of Moses Lake who now rely on a rapidly diminishing ground water aquifer that has been dropping an average of 7 feet per year for decades.

Cities that have been waiting for years for new water supplies will also benefit from the agreements announced by the governor, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Spokane Tribe of Indians. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation manages Lake Roosevelt and is a partner in the agreements.

Stream flows for salmon will be improved under the agreements by the release of additional water during the critical late-summer period on the river.

�Today�s historic agreement ensures a water supply that sustains farming, supports growing communities and enhances our precious salmon resource,� said Gov. Gregoire. �I appreciate and applaud the leadership of farmers, environmental groups, county commissioners, legislators, federal officials and tribal governments in creating a lasting water-supply partnership.�

In exchange for their support of incremental storage releases of up to 132,500 acre feet of water each year from Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, the Colville and Spokane tribes will receive annual payments from Washington state.

The governor will ask the 2008 Legislature to approve the agreements and annual payments of $2.25 million to the Spokane Tribe and $3.8 million (first year) to the Colville Tribes and $3.6 million in subsequent years to the Colvilles.

The tribes will use the payments to mitigate the damage on fish and wildlife, recreation and cultural activities resulting from the release of water from Lake Roosevelt, and for economic development investments to benefit the local economy.

Colville Tribes Chairman Mike Marchand said the agreement represents the first time the State of Washington approached the Colville Tribes in advance of a major water resources initiative to address impacts to the tribes.

�The Colville Tribes is very gratified that the governor has worked with us as a co-equal sovereign to come to an agreement that protects our important interests in the Columbia River and Lake Roosevelt,� Marchand said.

�Grand Coulee Dam inundates our boundary rivers and uplands within the Spokane Indian Reservation,� said Spokane Tribal Chairman Richard Sherwood. �Our conceptual agreement will provide major benefits downstream while helping the tribe to address some of the impacts from storage and use of that water on our lands.�

Gov. Gregoire said the benefits to water users long in need of new water supplies in as many as six counties far outweigh the costs of the agreements.

Loss of irrigation water in the area now served by the rapidly depleting Odessa aquifer could cost the agricultural region $600 million a year in revenue and the elimination of 7,500 jobs.

Benefits to water users

Water users who will benefit from the agreements signed today include:
� Irrigators of 10,000 acres of land in the Odessa Ground Water Management Subarea. They will receive surface water from Lake Roosevelt and end their reliance on the rapidly depleting aquifer.
� As many as 379 holders of water rights that can be stopped during droughts, most of whom are farmers who use the water to irrigate their crops. The addition of 33,000 acre feet of water for use in dry years will create a �drought insurance� program for these water users. With this new water, they will be less at risk of having their water supply interrupted or cut off in drought years.
� Many of the 128 applicants for municipal and industrial water rights who will receive water under the agreements.
� 27,500 acre feet of water will be available each year and an additional 17,000 acre feet will be available during critical drought years to increase water held in-stream to benefit endangered salmon and improve the health of the Columbia River.
� For local governments around Lake Roosevelt, Gov. Gregoire is asking the Legislature to provide $2 million to address priority water issues.

New water permits may be issued as early as the spring of 2008. The East Columbia Basin Irrigation District will work with local farmers to deliver the new water to lands that currently irrigate with ground water. Cities and industrial water users with pending permit applications for new water may have to finance the installation of necessary delivery infrastructure.

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