It’s an effort roughly 50 years in the making, fully funding the Columbia Basin Project.  Securing those funds are so important to State Representative Mary Dye she spent much of the time between the 2018 legislative session and this session traveling the country, talking about water and energy.  One such trip involved a stop in D.C., where Dye and other Washington lawmakers asked the feds for help finishing up the project.

 

“My bigger vision is to have money in the President’s infrastructure package that will really call out and get us the revenue that we need to really complete the first and second phase of that EIS on the Columbia Basin project.”

 

In May, Senator Patty Murray announced that nearly $2 million had been set aside to help with the Odessa Groundwater, Pasco Pump Lateral and Potholes projects.  Dye said with the need to feed nine billion people fast approaching, finishing the Columbia Basin Project would be a game changer for the region.

 

“The current Basin project irrigates 671,000 acres.  The completion would be 1,029,000 acres.  If we were able to do that, it would latterly double the farm gate.”

 

The farm gate from acres currently irrigated is around $3.8 billion.

 

 

 

 

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com

More From PNW Ag Network