McMorris Rodgers, Newhouse Announce Nearly $2 Million to Support Columbia Basin Project; Includes Funds for Odessa Aquifer Replacement

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 7, 2018) – Today, Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statements after receiving a report from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) on its Fiscal Year 2018 additional funding spending program. The BOR report announced nearly $2 million in new funds for the Columbia Basin Project Ephrata/Pasco Pump Lateral and Potholes Supplemental Feed Route, including $750,000 for oversight and design for a pumping plant and pipeline delivery system for the Odessa Ground Water Replacement Program (OGWRP).

“With declining aquifers in the Odessa Subarea, this project is critical to providing infrastructure needed to bring water from other areas. The approval of $2 million in funding from the Bureau of Reclamation is critical as $750,000 of these funds will be directed towards the pumping plant design and construction and other oversight efforts,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers. “Agriculture is Washington’s number one industry, and this project will ensure Columbia Basin irrigation districts can provide the water needed to grow our crops and fuel our economy. Thank you to Commissioner Burman and the Bureau of Reclamation for being a partner in this effort.”

“I was pleased that the Bureau of Reclamation approved my request to provide additional resources for the Columbia Basin Project,” said Rep. Newhouse. “This new investment is a positive step forward in ensuring that users who depend on the depleting Odessa Aquifer have sufficient water resources. I appreciate the support of elected leaders at the state and local levels who have worked to make this request a priority, and I am grateful for the investment the state and local leaders have made on this project. It was overdue for the federal government to fulfill their partnership in this project, and I commend the Trump Administration for working with me to provide these resources. I will continue to work with the Bureau of Reclamation, stakeholders, and our state and local leaders to keep the Columbia Basin Project moving and supply much-needed water resources to support our Mid-Columbia economy.”

# # #