MOSES LAKE, Wash., April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association (CSRIA) held a special briefing on Friday, April 4 in Moses Lake regarding the status and progress of the CSRIA's Privately Funded/Financed Project in which Odessa Aquifer deep well irrigators would privately fund/finance and build lateral pipelines (Systems 1-4) east from the East Low Canal to bring surface water to the Odessa Subarea east of the Moses Lake area (from Moses Lake to Lind Coulee).
CSRIA presented the proposed project to a large crowd of farmers, lenders, community leaders and local legislators, including Sen. Janea Holmquist-Newbry, Rep. Judy Warnick, Rep. Matt Manweller, Rep. Joe Schmick, and Rep. Susan Fagan.
Dr. Darryll Olsen, CSRIA's Board Representative, explained to the crowd that the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association (CSRIA) is working with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District on an agreement, which would initially allow for the construction of a privately funded pipeline (System 1) and other improvements to deliver surface water east from the East Low Canal to about 14,000 acres of farmland north of I-90 in the Odessa Subarea by as early as 2016.
In addition, various farmers and lenders at the briefing discussed how they have worked with CSRIA to put together a $40 million privately financing package to build the infrastructure to get the surface water to the farms east of Moses Lake.
Olsen also indicated that this (delivering of water to nearly 14,000 acres north of I-90) is the first step in a plan to bring surface water irrigation to about 70,000 acres (or more) of farmland in the Odessa Subarea, both north and south of I-90. The initial development may reach as far south of I-90 to Lind Coulee. Further development to the south will require additional expansion of the East Low Canal.
"Right now, in our minds, the two most important things are in place," Olsen said. "We've got the private funding and financing in place… and the other part is that the state Department of Ecology has issued the secondary use permit."
The CSRIA Privately Funded/Financed Project has been widely endorsed by many newspapers and decision-makers as a viable, cost-effective and realistic option to immediately begin replacing the use of groundwater from the declining Odessa Aquifer in eastern Washington. Additionally, it offers a practical and reasonable solution that can be developed in a short timeframe to begin effectively resolving the Odessa Aquifer depletion issue.
Following are recent editorials in several of the region's newspapers endorsing CSRIA's privately funded solution:
- http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/09/24/2590487/our-voice-government-should-support.html
- http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jul/13/editorial-water-flows-to-farms-with-help-of/
- http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/01/20/1794124/plan-to-irrigate-odessa-appears.html
- http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/opinion/editorials/article_bf77501a-42ed-11e1-bbee-001871e3ce6c.html
For more information, contact Darryll Olsen of CSRIA at 509-783-1623 or Email.
About CSRIA (http://www.csria.org)
The Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association is a leading organization in promoting water conservation and water efficiency in the Pacific Northwest. CSRIA's membership includes row crop, vineyard, orchard and livestock operations and we irrigate about 250,000 acres of prime agricultural lands in Washington State and primarily consist of operations along the Columbia-Snake River system, relying almost exclusively on private investment to build and operate highly efficient, state-of-the-art river pump stations and water distribution systems. Additionally, many municipalities and port districts are members of CSRIA. In economic terms, CSRIA members annually generate about $475-600 million in state and local income by purchasing goods and services from numerous economic sectors, ranging from paper products and food packaging to financial, legal and marketing services.