Voice of the Project
11 Dec ELC Gate Automation Nearing the Halfway Point
Robin Adolphsen, district engineer for the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District, said that the automation of the gates on the East Low Canal is about 50 percent complete. “With the East Low Canal, we have looked at all the gates we need to do and we are close to halfway done with them,” she said. “Depends if we continue to do the ones farther north. As the plans progress in the design work, we will have the push to put more of those in.”11 Dec A Highlight From the Annual Meeting: Keynote Speaker Rob Curley
Rob Curley closed the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Columbia Basin Development League, the first virtual meeting in the League’s history, with a message brimming with optimism and humor, which seemed to resonate with his audience during a pandemic. Curley, the editor of the Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, opened by addressing his reputation as an innovator, noting the dismal state of the newspaper industry and poking a little fun at himself. “You all couldn’t get the horse-buggy maker to come and talk to you all about his innovations?,” he said.11 Dec Save The Date for the Annual Columbia Basin Development League Conference
The League invites you to participate in its annual conference, titled "With One Voice," and scheduled for March 4, 2021 via Zoom. Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details as the League staff enters the home stretch of preparations for the conference. Visit...
11 Dec Recap of the League’s 2020 Annual Meeting
The Columbia Basin Development League held its 2020 Annual Meeting virtually on Nov. 5, with more than 70 people tuning in. The COVID-19 pandemic kept the League from gathering in person, so the 90-minute meeting took place online for the first time in the League’s 56-year history. The Board Chair, Mark Stedman, described all the changes as “a new dynamic in this world that we live in. We will survive.” The meeting served as an opportunity to welcome new trustees, bid farewell to outgoing ones, update the bylaws and honor some distinguished guests and mainstays.08 Oct PROPOSED UPDATE TO THE COLUMBIA BASIN DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE’S BYLAWS
According to the bylaws of the Columbia Basin Development League, changes that do no fix Trustee qualifications, classifications, terms of office, or compensation, may be made to the bylaws by a majority vote of those present and voting at any regular or special meeting of...
06 Oct LEGISLATORS SPEAK ON IMPORTANCE OF COLUMBIA BASIN PROJECT
Three legislators from the Columbia Basin, State Rep. Tom Dent (R-Moses Lake), State Sen. Judy Warnick, and State Rep. Alex Ybarra (R-Quincy) minced no words when expressing the importance of the Columbia Basin Project (CBP) to our corner of the world and beyond. “Ya like to eat? Well, that’s why we need irrigation,” Dent said. Besides that, irrigation is the main purpose for the Columbia Basin and its towns and cities, the lawmakers agreed. Even the tech-savvy companies that dot the landscape of western Grant County would not be there if lured by the cheap power rates and rich land made possible by the mighty Columbia River and its waters.06 Oct ODESSA GROUND WATER REPLACEMENT PROGRAM LATERAL NEWS
Construction and design progress continue on the expansion of East Low Canal and at least eight lateral systems of Odessa Ground Water Replacement Program (OGWRP). Two radial gates are planned to be installed by East Columbia Basin Irrigation District (ECBID) this fall thanks to materials supplied by the Bureau of Reclamation. And, agreements between landowners and ECBID are taking shape. Highlights from the summer included the following:- An EL 79.2 Design Agreement was signed by participants earlier this year. Landowners in 79.2 contributed over $220,000 of their own funds by initially paying $20 per acre to have their lands included in design. Evaluation of pump station locations is underway, and a review of pipeline alignments, electrical service scenarios, and costs for each pipe/intake/electrical scenario is expected, soon.
- Participating EL 22.1 landowners and eligible water rights have been reviewed to serve 16,511 acres, a location for this lateral’s pump stations has been identified, and a pipeline route has been determined. The EL 22.1 Replacement MOU was approved by the ECBID Board.
- EL 86.4 landowners are ready to move forward with an MOU and the pattern for ECBID design. They are determining the specific parcels and acres to be served as well as water right eligibility.
- On EL 47.5, start-up procedures are occurring, now, to fill pipelines, test pump/turnout controls and make refinements as needed.
- Plans are in the works for ECBID and landowners on EL 40.2, EL 54, and EL 73.3 to meet.
- The Board of Directors of the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District (ECBID) has accepted a $595,000 grant agreement with the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Administration of Grants and Loans (EAGL). The first focus of the grant is on electrical planning and design review tasks including a Grant County PUD Electrical Facilities Impact Study, which will help determine the specific components and costs needed to serve the northern lateral delivery systems of ECBID: East Low (EL) 11.8, EL 22.1, and EL 40.2 Results of the study are expected by early December.
06 Oct USDA FUNDING OPTIONS FOR OGWRP EXPLORED
When the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announcement was released in September 2019 regarding funding opportunities for projects to harness innovation, expand the conservation mission and demonstrate the value and efficacy of natural resources conservation, ECBID connected with State NRCS staff to inquire about opportunities for the Odessa Ground Water Replacement Program. They began coordination with the four conservation districts staff in Franklin, Lincoln, Adams, and Grant counties and explored potential partnership possibilities; including with the conservation districts, the Columbia Basin Development League, and the state department of agriculture. They also identified key differences in available NRCS programs and associated eligibility criteria; some geared toward public systems (such as District pump plant and main pipeline), as compared to private systems (for pipeline extensions), and of the separate program funding available to private landowners through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) (but was not available to ECBID).06 Oct HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE OTHER WASHINGTON
In June, H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act was introduced in the House. The measure is a large infrastructure bill, which provides a total of $1.5 trillion authorizations for a wide variety of infrastructure provisions including roads, bridges, aviation, rail, and water. In total, the bill authorizes close to $70 billion dollars for water infrastructure. The bill was voted on favorably by the House of Representatives and awaits further consideration by the Senate. The League is closely monitoring this bill. In July, H.R. 7575, the Water Resources Development Act was introduced and subsequently voted on favorably by the House of Representatives. The bill focuses most of the resources on Army Corps projects and does not include a Reclamation Title for which the League previously advocated. A Reclamation Title would open up funding opportunities for projects like the Columbia Basin Project.Stay up to date with Project happenings every month.