YES IT CAN
No Action = No Future
PRESS RELEASE
Yakima Basin Storage Alliance believes the no action alternative dooms the Yakima River Basin with insufficient water to meet the needs of fish, out of stream use, and municipal growth.
"We have been studying our diminishing water supply for decades, and the Black Rock study was a hoop we had to jump through get the water-exchange pump-storage concept on the table.
We consider the federal study a success. It tells us that the Black Rock Reservoir and water distribution system are technically feasible, and can be built. Black Rock is the only option that meets all the water supply criteria established by Congress.
We learned that, in an attempt to create a growing economy and thousands of jobs, we really established the potential of dramatic environmental restoration and up to a million returning salmon in our Yakima River system.
We also learned that the federal study process is so restricted that it can only look back, and that the major values that come with a consistent future supply of water are fish production and recreation. Since the Bureau of Reclamation couldn't look forward to the climate changes that are undeniably occurring, and can't project the value of salmon production or investments in recreation, the study only tells part of the story..
We agree with the study that the Black Rock concept is not a good buy if you can only look at history, but if you look to the future and accurately measure the broad base of potential benefits, we can't afford not to move ahead.
One area of disappointment: two federal agencies in direct conflict at taxpayer expense. The Bureau of Reclamation, with successful dam construction throughout the western United States, reports in detail that seepage from the reservoir at Black Rock can be effectively recovered and reused. The Department of Energy disagrees and claims a threat to underground water tables at Hanford, with no detail. This conflict needs to be resolved.
Perhaps a second disappointment is the recently released study by the State Department of Ecology. They miss the point entirely. There is not enough water in the Yakima Basin to satisfy the needs of the future, let alone the past, yet they continue to give hope to in-basin band-aids that have been turned down for years, even where they violate existing state policy.
Bottom line: we are tired of studying. The 'status quo' does not work for anyone. The Bureau of Reclamation has given us new tools that offer hope. We can build a water future for this Yakima River Basin, or we can fail. If you think Black Rock is expensive, you should see the cost of doing nothing.
Sid Morrison
Chair, Yakima Basin Storage Alliance
