Colvilles sign on to Columbia River Initiative

YAKIMA, Wash. – The Colville Confederated Tribes and the state of Washington signed an agreement Tuesday that will allow the state to obtain additional water from Lake Roosevelt on the upper Columbia River during the summer months.

The agreement was crucial for a proposed Columbia River management plan proposed by outgoing Gov. Gary Locke, who had made resolving water rights disputes in Eastern Washington a priority in his second term.

“The Columbia River is under significant pressure to provide electricity, supply water for municipal growth, irrigate crops and nurture salmon at the beginning and end of their lives,” Locke said in a news release. “Through this agreement, the state and Colville Tribes are pledging to help manage the river in a sustainable way that benefits us all.”

Water users and conservationists have been battling for decades over water rights for the Columbia and its tributaries, with one side seeking more water for communities and commerce while the other side fights for sufficient water for threatened fish runs. The dispute becomes particularly heated during drought years.

The agreement would allow the state to obtain intermittent releases of water from Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam, when needed from April to August each year.

That would mean drawing down Lake Roosevelt by as much as an additional foot, which would provide 137,000 acre-feet of the 728,000 acre-feet of water sought over the 20-year span of the management plan.

An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover an acre of land to a depth of one foot.

Creators of the plan say the region needs that additional water to meet its needs over the next two decades and to provide a more reliable supply of water during droughts.

The rest of the water would be secured through agreements with the Bonneville Power Administration and Canada under a Columbia River treaty, and by increasing storage and conservation.

Two-thirds of the additional water would go to farmers, irrigation and other uses, and one-third would remain in the river to preserve adequate river flows and protect fish and wildlife.

The plan would require approval from the Legislature, where many proposed water-policy changes have died in recent years. Gov.-elect Christine Gregoire said Tuesday she had not committed to the plan and that it required further study.

Joe Pakootas, tribal chairman for the Colvilles, called the plan a significant step forward in managing the Columbia River. More important, though, he said the plan recognizes the Colvilles as a major player in setting river policy.

Some concerns still remain, he said. “If they can’t replace the water they take out, that’s a fear we have, but we’re giving them the benefit of the doubt right now,” he said. “What we’re most happy with is that they have actually called the tribes to the table.”

The proposal also seeks $79 million in new state funding to purchase water, research water storage and develop water-conservation measures.

Earlier this year, the National Academy of Sciences cautioned the state against allowing new withdrawals from the river during low water flows. Meanwhile, a report from the University of Washington predicted new withdrawals could boost economic growth in the region.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, state Department of Fish and Wildlife and three Columbia River Basin irrigation districts signed a memorandum of agreement on the plan last month. The National Marine Fisheries Service also supports it.