09/28/06 List of Columbia reservoir sites narrowed

Washington Ag September 28, 2006 The Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have narrowed to four a list of potential off-channel mainstem Columbia River storage sites that could help serve the future water needs of the Columbia River Basin. Sites identified for further analysis include Hawk Creek in Lincoln County, Foster Creek in Douglas County, Sand Hollow and Crab Creek, both in Grant County. Each of the potential storage sites has a predicted reservoir capacity of at least one million acre-feet, which is in line with future water needs in the Columbia Basin. In addition, each is above Priest Rapids Dam, which will allow it to be easily integrated into Reclamation`s Columbia Basin Project. A more detailed analysis of the four sites is expected to be released in March of 2007. Congressman Doc Hastings is leading a bipartisan coalition of Pacific Northwest lawmakers in calling for an end to Indonesia`s unfair trade barriers against Northwest apples, pears and cherries. In a letter Congressman Hastings urged U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab to work with Indonesia to remove a recently implemented phytosanitary regulation that impedes trade without any analysis or scientific evidence of pest risk. I'm Bob Hoff.