Why Black Rock Reservoir?

To help restore Salmon in the Yakima River and stabilize water supplies for Basin Irrigation and Municipalities.  That will be done with a one-to-one inter-basin water transfer from the Columbia River to major Yakima Basin irrigation districts, via the yet to be built Black Rock Reservoir.  The irrigation water diverted out of the Yakima will be significantly reduced, hence the water that remains could be used to naturalize the Yakima River hydrograph.  Funding the construction of Black Rock Reservoir and critical fish passage and habitat on the Yakima will maximize Salmon Recovery in the Yakima River.  By doing so, a wonderful recreation site and hydropower storage options will be created at Black Rock.

The Bureau of Reclamation has been authorized by Congress to do the following:

• Improve anadromous fish habitat by restoring the flow regimes of the Yakima and Naches Rivers in the Yakima Basin to more closely resemble the natural (unregulated) hydrograph.
• Improve the water supply for proratable irrigation water rights in dry years by providing not less than 70-percent irrigation water supply during dry years at diversions subject to proration.

• Meet future municipal water supply needs by maintaining a full municipal water supply for existing users and providing additional surface water for population growth to the year 2050.
  

It’s Time!

One-hundred years ago our forefathers envisioned and created the existing reservoir system.  This fulfilled our needs, but now the Yakima Basin has water needs that outstretch that system.  It’s time to develop new water storage to meet the needs of the next one-hundred years.  Black Rock Reservoir is the answer.