10/20/05 A plan to recharge Odessa Aquifer

Washington Ag October 20, 2005 A group called the Odessa Aquifer Replenishment Coalition is proposing that Columbia River water be pumped back down wells during the winter as a short to intermediate term solution for deep well irrigators who rely on the declining water table in the Odessa Aquifer. Pat Boss, principle consultant for the Odessa Aquifer Replenishment Coalition, says the state has a process in place for such Aquifer Storage and Recovery and has granted permits for aquifer recharge in such areas as Seattle and the Tri-Cities. Boss: "We think that pulling water out of the Columbia River in the winter time, using existing infrastructure, and then taking the water out of the East Slope Canal, pumping it into the aquifer and refilling the aquifer during the off-season, would be a good stop-gap measure to help keep irrigation going out there while the Columbia Basin Development League is moving ahead with its full build out of the Columbia Basin Project." Boss puts the price tag of that plan at 50 million dollars for studies and pipelines with implementation possible in five years or so compared to the 500 million to one billion dollars in costs and 20 to 50 years time to complete the Columbia Basin Project. Tomorrow more on the Coalition's plan. I'm Bob Hoff.