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- Reclamation Releases Draft EA on Potholes Reservoir Supplemental Feed Route
News Release Archive
Reclamation Releases Draft EA on Potholes Reservoir Supplemental Feed Route
Media Contact:
John Redding, (208) 378-5212, 04/27/2007 17:07
Jim Blanchard, jblanchard@pn.usbr.gov
For Release: April 27, 2007
The Bureau of Reclamation will hold a public meeting on the Draft Environmental Assessment for the Potholes Reservoir Supplemental Feed Route which is intended to increase the reliability of transporting water from Banks Lake to Potholes Reservoir.
The public meeting will be held on May 16 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., at Reclamation's Ephrata Field Office, 32 C Street in Ephrata, Wash.
The draft document, released today, describes the preferred alternative, which is to release feed water from Billy Clapp Reservoir into Brook Lake and then convey it down Crab Creek to Potholes Reservoir. The supplemental feed route study also examined using one other route using the West Canal and Frenchman Hills Wasteway to convey water to Potholes.
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.
The use of Crab Creek as a viable alternative will ensure that Potholes Reservoir has a reliable water source.
Potholes Reservoir, located about 22 miles south of Ephrata, is a key feature of the Columbia Basin Project, in central Washington State.
The meeting facility is accessible to people with disabilities. Please contact Jim Blanchard at (509) 754-0226 if you need sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired or other auxiliary aids.
The deadline for comments on the draft EA is May 27. Written comments can be sent to Bureau of Reclamation, Attn: Jim Blanchard, Special Projects Manager, PO Box 815, Ephrata WA 98823-0815.
Information about the draft EA is on Reclamation's website: http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/ea/wash/potholes/index.html.
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