Water Resource Development

 Water Resource Development. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.
Fruit growers in the state of Washington rely on mostly irrigation water to produce the wonderful crops of apples, cherries, wine grapes and more. On the east side of the state a lot of that water comes from the Columbia Basin Project. Mike Schwisow, lobbyist for the Columbia Basin Development League.

SCHWISOW: The Columbia Basic Development League was organized in the mid-60’s, 1964. It’s a private, non-profit corporation, 501c3. It was organized for the purpose of promoting the development of the Columbia Basin Project. So we’re a private sector cheerleader if you will and I describe us as sort of a regional chamber of commerce type activity.

There are 26 trustees on the board along with a county commissioner from each of the 4 counties where the project is located.

SCHWISOW: The purpose has been to promote the development of the project for quite an extended period of time from late in the 80’s through the 90’s. Project development has been stalled by endangered species listings on the Columbia River and it just was stuck.

During this time the Bureau of Reclamation placed a moratorium on itself for consideration of continued development.

SCHWISOW: So we’ve kind of turned the corner here and the issue in the early 2000’s the State of Washington under the Locke Administration was trying to respond to tremendous pent up demand for new water resources in central Washington. We have tremendous land resources, we just need the water to make it grow.

More tomorrow with Mike Schwisow on the Columbia Basin Development League. That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.