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Ecology issued about 1,500 curtailment orders in Yakima Basin as reservoirs ran near empty, staff tell lawmakers
Summary
Department of Ecology officials told legislators that extreme reservoir depletion in the Yakima Basin prompted curtailment orders to protect senior water rights; Ecology said the actions were unprecedented, compliance was widespread and recovery will depend on multiple winter conditions.
Department of Ecology officials described this year's unprecedented curtailments in the Yakima Basin, telling the joint committee that a combination of multi-year low storage and rapid spring melt produced conditions in which even the most senior water rights could not be satisfied.
Rhea Burns and Ecology staff explained the Yakima Project (managed by the Bureau of Reclamation) has five reservoirs that store water for farms, municipalities and fish. Because the basin is adjudicated, Ecology has an ordered priority system for surface water rights; officials said the…
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