News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 8, 2003
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke Tours Water Conservation Project, Meets with Agricultural Leaders During Ellensburg Visit

Gov. Gary Locke today viewed a water conservation and fish access project in the Upper Yakima River Basin and met with agricultural leaders during a visit to the Ellensburg area.

Locke was in town to view this innovative project at John Eaton’s farm and discuss water-use and watershed planning issues affecting the region and state. Joining the governor on the visit were Valoria Loveland, director of the state Department of Agriculture, and representatives of state and local governments and the Yakama Nation.

“John Eaton’s strong commitment to finding ways to conserve and use water wisely, improve the environment and help fish typifies what we are seeing in the Yakima River Basin,” Locke said. “The many changes he has put into place demonstrate how successful we can be when we work toward the common goal of helping people, farms and fish.”

During the tour, Locke viewed the many benefits being created by Eaton’s project. He has increased the efficiency of water usage on his farm, reduced sediment-laden water run-off, increased local stream flow, and opened miles of upstream habitat for fish.

The governor also hosted a meeting at the Ellensburg Fire Station with local and regional leaders to discuss water issues and thank the group for their efforts to successfully protect and manage this vital natural resource.

“Local citizens and governments are actively involved in watershed planning in the Yakima Basin,” Locke said. “They continue to make tremendous progress toward providing sufficient water for competing needs such as agriculture, growing communities and healthy watersheds. I believe that the success we see in the basin illustrates exactly the type of effort we need in other areas of Washington.”

The governor highlighted the significant work that has been done to clean up water in the upper and lower Yakima River basins. The state Department of Ecology and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have worked together to make several significant water-right and land purchases to permanently improve water flows and provide significant habitat for fish.

“We welcome Gov. Locke to the Ellensburg area to see some of the good work our local farmers and ranchers are doing,” said Rep. Bill Hinkle of Cle Elum. “We are making great strides in enhancing our watershed habitat and at the same time keeping agriculture viable in the Yakima Basin.”

The governor’s visit to Ellensburg is the third in a series of statewide visits to view and discuss water-related issues with local communities. Locke toured Walla Walla in November and visited the Bellingham area last week.


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