08/22/08 Columbia management update

Washington Ag August 22, 2006 The Columbia Water Management program adopted and funded by the state legislature earlier this year was held out as an example of successful cooperative conservation at that listening session on cooperative conservation held in Spokane earlier this month. Keith Phillips of Governor Gregoire's office gave an update at the listening session and said there is a lot of progress happening right now. Phillips: "We are working with the irrigation districts who have the diminished aquifer and we hope to deliver the first new increment of water to the Odessa aquifer next year. Working with the Bureau we are looking at modifying an existing dam to add additional storage to an existing reservoir so that irrigation supplies can be more reliable and summer stream flows can improve. Those are projects on the books ready to go. Also working with the Bureau we have just completed the preliminary review of 11 new storage sites in eastern Washington and are now looking to go into feasibility." Phillips says the state is also working with the Colville tribes for a small summer drawdown on Lake Roosevelt, has a draft agreement with the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators out for public review that would provide new water rights in return for voluntary conservation, and is working with local conservation districts to find and fund additional on-farm conservation. I'm Bob Hoff.