Odessa groundwater project secures nearly $45 million in infrastructure funding
May 30—Eastern Washington farmers are set to gain a more reliable water source, thanks to a $45 million state investment in a major irrigation project.
The Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project has secured nearly $45 million in the state capital budget to address declining aquifer levels and support agricultural sustainability in Grant, Adams and Lincoln counties. The project will take 36 deep wells offline and deliver surface water from the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District's East Low Canal to more than 17,000 acres of farmland in the Columbia Basin.
The project is also supported by $40 million in matching funds from local growers.
Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, said the current water solution is unreliable for local farmers and growers. This advancement, he said, will give them more opportunity in crop growth.
"If the water table drops while you're having a crop in the field, your pump may run dry," Schmick said, who's been involved in the project since 2007. "You don't know from week to week whether the water is going to be beyond the reach of your wealth. If it drops below the end of the pipe, so to speak, you're not going to get any water."
Schmick further explained this will boost food production and bring food security across the state.
"You can go from a low-value crop, such as wheat, and you're now able to produce high-value crops, like potatoes, beans and other crops that are considerably more valuable, and when there's more value, oftentimes it brings along more jobs, more opportunities," he said.
Echoing Schmick on the current water situation, Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, noted that by midsummer, some wells begin to pump sand because of groundwater depletion.
Having a reliable water supply not only supports agricultural growth and stability, but keeps local residents in the area long term.
"We have to build communities here, and it's all built around the water," Dent said.
"You have families, children and grandchildren. It's all tied together; it's all tied to the water," he said. "Without the water, it all changes."
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Odessa groundwater project secures nearly $45 million in infrastructure funding
May 30—Eastern Washington farmers are set to gain a more reliable water source, thanks to a $45 million state investment in a major irrigation project. The Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project has secured nearly $45 million in the state capital budget to address declining aquifer levels and support agricultural sustainability in Grant, Adams and Lincoln counties. The project will take 36 deep wells offline and deliver surface water from the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District's East Low Canal to more than 17,000 acres of farmland in the Columbia Basin. The project is also supported by $40 million in matching funds from local growers. Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, said the current water solution is unreliable for local farmers and growers. This advancement, he said, will give them more opportunity in crop growth. "If the water table drops while you're having a crop in the field, your pump may run dry," Schmick said, who's been involved in the project since 2007. "You don't know from week to week whether the water is going to be beyond the reach of your wealth. If it drops below the end of the pipe, so to speak, you're not going to get any water." Schmick further explained this will boost food production and bring food security across the state. "You can go from a low-value crop, such as wheat, and you're now able to produce high-value crops, like potatoes, beans and other crops that are considerably more valuable, and when there's more value, oftentimes it brings along more jobs, more opportunities," he said. Echoing Schmick on the current water situation, Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, noted that by midsummer, some wells begin to pump sand because of groundwater depletion. Having a reliable water supply not only supports agricultural growth and stability, but keeps local residents in the area long term. "We have to build communities here, and it's all built around the water," Dent said. "You have families, children and grandchildren. It's all tied together; it's all tied to the water," he said. "Without the water, it all changes."
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Apr. 30—MOSES LAKE — About $44 million in state funding will be allocated to a section of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project as part of the Washington Senate's capital budget. The budget was approved Sunday. The allocation comes with the proviso that it be spent on one section of the project, EL 22.1. The OGWRP project is designed to convert farms that use groundwater for irrigation to surface water. Most of the property that would be affected is considered to be part of the Odessa aquifer. The land that would be served by the new canal is east of Moses Lake and north of Warden in Grant and Adams counties. The irrigation water would be provided by the East Columbia Irrigation District, and Jon Erickson, ECBID development coordinator, said there are still some questions to be answered about how the irrigation district will and can proceed. "We don't have a clear direction on how to move forward," Erickson said. The allocation and the stipulations around it will be reviewed by the ECBID directors, beginning with their May 7 meeting, Erickson said. The EL 22.1 Landowners Association, which was involved in obtaining the funding, said the project is fully designed. "Construction would begin early next year, and the timing depends somewhat on when the public funding is made available," said an EL 22.1 spokesperson in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. The project will receive about $40 million in matching funds from area farmers, according to a press release from Ninth District Senator Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville. Schoesler said he worked with 13th District Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake. "With this capital budget funding and the matching money from growers, this project is ready to start," Warnick said. "(The landowner group) is in the process of obtaining the matching funding and with the public funding now allocated, the private matching funding should happen in 2026," the spokesperson said. "(The private funding) could be used in later phases as the legislature included in the budget proviso that the EL 22.1 Project could be done in phases." The project would be the first in the groundwater replacement area north of Interstate 90, according to the landowner group. Some sections of the project south of I-90 can't have water delivered due to the need to widen the canal, which will require widening some bridges along the canal's course. Planning and design are underway on the first bridge, with construction scheduled to begin in October after the end of the irrigation season. The canal and bridges north of I-90 were widened about half a century ago, the EL 22.1 spokesman said, so there's capacity for additional water delivery. "Consequently, work on EL 22.1 can begin as surface water delivery is assured," the spokesman said.
