News Release Archive

Columbia Basin Project Residents Notified of Wildlife and Habitat Survey

Media Contact: John Reddidng, (208) 378-5212, jredding@pn.usbr.gov
Jim Blanchard, jblanchard@pn.usbr.gov

For Release: February 11, 2009

The Bureau of Reclamation has notified Columbia Basin Project residents that it will join the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to conduct a five-month wildlife and habitat survey as part of the Odessa Subarea Special Study.

Reclamation and WDFW staff will conduct the survey from March 1 to August 31, for the purpose of identifying important wildlife and their habitats that could be impacted by the proposed construction of irrigation water delivery and storage facilities.

"Survey crew members will wear a uniform cap or other outer clothing that will identify them as a state or federal employee," said Bill Gray, Reclamation Deputy Area Manager. "Most surveys will be conducted during daylight hours, with the exception of a limited number of late-evening surveys."

Survey crews consisting of two to eight team members will seek permission to cross private land. They will not disturb soil or vegetation nor will they remove live animal specimens from the sites. Crews in vehicles will limit travel to established roadways and will not cross cultivated ground.

The survey is part of an investigation to provide surface water to replace current groundwater irrigation occurring in the Odessa Ground Water Management Subarea. Alternatives currently being considered include construction of water delivery infrastructure to convey Columbia Basin Project water to the groundwater-irrigated lands.

Possible construction would include expanding the capacity of existing facilities and constructing new canals, siphons, tunnels, pumping plants, piped laterals, and a re-regulating reservoir. The potential infrastructure improvements are part of the original development plan for the Columbia Basin Project. Reclamation is also considering modifying operations at Banks Lake through additional drawdown or a 2-foot operational raise, and construction of a new 127,000-acre-foot reservoir in Rocky Coulee.

For information about the Odessa Subarea Special Study, contact Kim McCartney, Reclamation Study Manager, at (509) 575 5848, extension 370. For information about the wildlife habitat survey, contact JoAnn Wisniewski, Survey Lead, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, at (509) 754-4624.

# # #

The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.