On June 30, 2013, Gov. Jay Inslee signs into law Senate Bill 5367, implementing the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan created to address a growing water deficit in the Yakima River Basin. The ambitious plan comes after years of droughts, litigation suits, studies, and assessments, and is expected to address water resource and ecosystem problems affecting fish passage and habitat as well as provide reliable water for agricultural, domestic, and municipal customers. Developed jointly by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation and the Washington Department of Ecology in collaboration with private, local, tribal, state, federal, and environmental organizations, the plan tackles seven key areas with projects to be implemented over three 10-year periods. Full plan implementation is estimated at $4.2 billion (2021 dollars). Located in Eastern Washington between the Cascade Range and the Columbia River, the Yakima River Basin is home to about 400,000 people and supports a $4.5 billion agricultural industry.
A Vicious Cycle
The Yakima River Basin occupies a substantial portion of Kittitas, Yakima, and Benton counties, and a small area of Klickitat County. Beginning in the Cascade Range, the river flows 214 miles into the Columbia River, draining about 400,000 acres of land used primarily for agriculture and recreation. Drought years have brought significant environmental and economic stress to the region, and federal, state, and local agencies have struggled for decades to identify ways to ensure a more predictable, steady, and equitable supply of water – a task further complicated by diverse interest groups.
Home to the most productive agricultural region in the state, the Yakima River Basin has weathered at least 14 major droughts in the past four decades. "Thirty-four percent of the irrigated land in the basin is planted in tree crops and vineyards, and the remaining consists of forage, annual vegetables and field crops, hops, and mint" (Reclamation: Managing Water in the West, 1). More than 44,000 individuals work in the region’s agriculture or food-processing industry, chiefly in wine, hops, cherries, and apples, with an estimated economic value of $4.5 billion. The $1.2 billion recreation industry, much of it water-dependent, is concentrated in fishing, hiking, boating, and camping, and employs more than 14,000 people.
In 2007, a study on climate change by the University of Washington determined that "the Yakima Basin reservoir system in place now will be increasingly unable to supply the needs of irrigators in coming years. The assessment predicts that, under existing Yakima Basin water management, lack of irrigation water and more frequent and severe water cut-offs for junior water right holders could cause a 5 percent decline in the Yakima Basin’s production of cherries and apples by the 2020s, costing about $23 million" (Pittman).
Taking Another Look
In 2009, federal and state agencies agreed to take another look at available options to manage the basin’s critical water resources. This time, a cross-organizational workgroup was established to hammer out details and build the framework for an integrated plan. Members came from the Yakama Nation, cities and counties, state agencies, federal agencies such as the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U. S. Forest Service, and environmental groups such as Trout Unlimited and American Rivers.
After two years of regular meetings, a draft plan was submitted. The plan included seven key elements – fish passage, structural and operational changes to the existing infrastructure, increased surface water storage, increased groundwater storage, habitat protection and enhancement, water conservation, and market reallocation of water supplies – with implementation divided into three 10-year phases. A final programmatic environmental impact statement was circulated for review on March 2, 2012.
Partnering with such a broad stakeholder coalition was viewed as a key element in the successful development of the water management plan. "'We have been struggling for years – decades – to increase water supply in the Yakima basin without success,' [Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District manager Jim] Trull said. 'Now we are to the point where we have nearly all stakeholders actively involved, all sitting at the table and talking constructively about how to do this'" (Pihl)
Although strong viewpoints proliferated, over time a level of trust and camaraderie emerged as each member of the workgroup had to acknowledge and try to accept other interests and claims. "'This is breaking new ground; it’s never been done this way to such an extent anywhere in the nation that I know of,' said Urban Eberhart, a member of the plan's work group and implementation committee. Other large water basins in the West and elsewhere may have attempted similar comprehensive approaches in developing more water supplies, but Eberhart said they haven’t achieved the Yakima basin’s level of cooperation and collaboration among historically competing factions" (Johnston).
In spring 2013, the Integrated Water Resource Management Plan was introduced in the state legislature as Senate Bill 5367. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Jim Honeyford; a companion measure in the House was introduced by Rep. Bruce Chandler. In sponsoring the legislation, Honeyford noted that "'the Yakima Basin has repeatedly suffered droughts that not only deprive the region of water, but drain hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy of Central Washington ... This bill will not only help to prevent those economic disasters in the future, but has the added benefit of improving the natural habitat for salmon in the upper reaches of the Yakima River. It’s a great example of a win-win bill'" (Brown). The Senate voted unanimously for passage; in the House, the vote was 80 to 2 in favor of implementation. Governor Inslee signed the bill into law on June 30, 2013.
A New Way Forward
Initial estimates to implement the 30-year plan were pegged at $4.2 billion. The first phase (2013-2023) was estimated at approximately $990 million with 65 percent coming from the federal government and 35 percent provided by the state. Cost estimates will be adjusted as implementation progresses.
Since its passage, this strategic roadmap for health of the Yakima River Basin has brought about substantial improvements, including a new aquifer storage and recovery system in the City of Yakima and the purchase of 50,241 acres of forested headwaters in Teanaway to create Washington’s first community forest. In 2015, the Bureau of Reclamation began building the Cle Elum Fish Passage Facilities, the first fish-passage project implemented as part of the plan. When completed in 2024, it is expected to increase the number of adult returning fish fivefold.
The plan’s groundbreaking collaborative approach has been widely praised and is drawing attention elsewhere. "In Washington, Ecology is applying our model to the Chehalis River Basin to make progress on flooding and fishery issues, and interests in the Nooksack River are looking at it as well. For durable, sustainable and resilient solutions, mutual respect based on recognizing the values of (former) adversaries is the place to start. It’s working in the Yakima" (Revell and Rigdon).
