Yakima River Basin Water Storage Feasibility Study

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In May 2003 the Bureau of Reclamation initiated the Yakima River Basin Water Storage Feasibility Study to examine the feasibility and acceptability of storage augmentation in the Yakima River basin. The additional water storage is to benefit threatened and endangered species, irrigated agriculture, and municipal water supply.

The study was authorized by Congress in 2003. In accordance with the authorization, the initial emphasis of the study evaluated the feasibility of the Black Rock Dam alternative. Then evaluation of other storage alternatives will occur as well as an environmental impact evaluation of all alternatives. The environmental evaluation will be an environmental impact statement and will be a joint document that combines a planning report and an environmental impact statement that complies with both National Environmental Policy Act and State Environmental Policy Act requirements.

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Documents

03/2009 Public Comments on the Final EIS PDF 2.0 mb
12/2008 Final Planning Report/EIS and Technical Reports HTML
12/2008 GIS Metadata HTML
05/2008 Public Comments Received for the Yakima Basin Storage Study Draft Planning Report/EIS HTML
05/2008 Minutes from Two Public Hearings 02/28/08 for the Yakima Basin Storage Study Draft Planning Report/EIS PDF 123 kb
05/2008 Minutes from Two Public Hearings 02/27/08 for the Yakima Basin Storage Study Draft Planning Report/EIS PDF 418 kb
01/2008 Draft Planning Report/EIS and Technical Reports HTML
  Other reports and documents >>
Meetings
Information about past meetings >>

Study Process and Timeline

Basic data and information generally common to storage alternatives will be collected, compiled, and analyzed. This includes: the identification of water supply needs for agriculture, fisheries, and municipal purposes; a determination of the current shortage of water supply to meet these needs; and the availability of water for additional use from the Yakima and Columbia Rivers. more >>

Partners

The State of Washington Department of Ecology is Reclamation's cost-share partner for the study. In 2003, the State of Washington appropriated $4 million to expend under contract with Reclamation. Additional appropriations have been authorized by the legislature to complete the Storage Study.

Contact

Wendy Christensen
(509) 573-8050
gchristensen@usbr.gov

Bureau of Reclamation
Pacific Northwest Region
Columbia-Cascades Area Office
1917 Marsh Road
Yakima, WA 98901-2058


Last Updated: 10/10/23