6/11/07 Lower Crab Creek top site for off-river storage

Washington Ag June 11, 2007 An assessment of where new off-channel storage might be suitable on the Columbia River puts Lower Crab Creek on the top of the list. That's the result of a study by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Washington Department of Ecology and Ecology's Joye Redfield-Wilder explains why Crab Creek beats out the sites of Sand Hollow and Hawk Creek. Redfield-Wilder: "Because it can not only can handle a dam and reservoir from the technical point of view but building a dam there would be a great deal less expensive than some of the other sites. But this is a preliminary assessment and all it does is give decision makers something to evaluate and if we want to move forward with more a more in depth feasibility study that would need authorization from Congress." Ecology, Reclamation and Columbia Basin irrigation districts are reviewing the assessment and will consult with Governor Chris Gregoire, the state's congressional delegation, stakeholders and others including the Columbia River Basin Advisory Group before deciding whether to seek federal approval and funding to further study any of the three sites. I'm Bob Hoff.