News Release Archive

Reclamation Tests Alternate Means of Conveying Water to Potholes Reservoir

Media Contact: John Redding, (208) 378-5212, 08/29/2006 19:04
Jim Blanchard, jblanchard@pn.usbr.gov

For Release: August 29, 2006

The Bureau of Reclamation is looking closely at how water is flowing through Crab Creek below Brook Lake as part of a test to determine the creek's potential as a supplemental route to convey water to Potholes Reservoir. Potholes Reservoir, located about 22 miles south of Ephrata, is a key feature of the Columbia Basin Project, in central Washington State.

"The test flows were started August 21, and they will help us to find answers to questions about how water travels down Crab Creek and through Moses Lake to Potholes Reservoir," said Reclamation Deputy Area Manager, William Gray.

For years, water has been fed to Potholes Reservoir through the East Low Canal of the Columbia Basin Project, but due to operational changes over the years, it has become difficult to ensure the ability to supply the entire feed to Potholes Reservoir, according to Gray.

This effort is part of the Supplemental Feed Route Study for Potholes Reservoir initiated in May by Reclamation in cooperation with the Washington Department of Ecology which is funding the effort as part of the Columbia River Partnership (CRP). Other agency partners include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Other items of the CRP include the Odessa Sub-Aquifer Study and the Offstream Storage Site Study.

The supplemental feed route study is also examining the possibility of using two other routes: the West Canal using the W20 Lateral to Moses Lake; and West Canal to Potholes using the Frenchman Hills Wasteway.

During the test run using Crab Creek, Reclamation does not expect the water flow to reach Moses Lake until mid-September due to the many small ponds that will likely fill with water along the route.

"We believe this test will supply us with good data to help answer many questions, including how much water is lost to the Adrian Sink area, as well as concerns about erosion and sediment that might be transported to Moses Lake, Gray said.

Information about the Supplemental Feed Route Study for Potholes Reservoir is available from Jim Blanchard, Special Projects Manager, at (509) 754-0226. Or on the internet at: http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/ucao_misc/potholes/index.html.

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Relevant Link:

http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/ucao_misc/potholes/index.html